After death
by Meinos Kaen
Summary: There's who believes there's nothing, after death... But Naruto, immediately after dieing, found something... Or better, someone. And he declared himself as a Shinigami. NarutoXBleach Crossover! RXR! Please!
1. Then

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

I've seen a few Crossover Naruto/Bleach… So, I came with this idea. I said to myself: 'Hey… The Yondaime technique summoned a Shinigami… What if…'. So, here there is my new story! Let's discover what happens after death! Enjoy!

**Prologue**

Naruto felt terrible. Why? Because he had broken his promise. Because he had failed Sakura-chan. But worse thing… He was dying. That was the main thing of his feeling. The explosion… When the Chidori and the Rasengan had met… The explosion had damaged him, because in the end Sasuke had hit him in the chest, making a hole in his chakra protection. His inner organs… Damaged… The blood coming out of his mouth… Sasuke staring at him from above, his eyes almost closing… His heart rate slowing down… His breath almost stopping…

"… Naruto…"

He wanted to say something… But the words weren't coming out of his mouth. His strength… Was fading away… A voice in his mind was screaming things like 'I don't want to die!' and 'Damn weak brat! It's your entire fault!'. And then… Suddenly… His eyes closed… Forever, he thought. He was sooooooooooo wrong.

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter1: There's something after death, then**

Naruto didn't felt anything for a few minutes… Then, he began to feel his strength coming back. It was not possible that he was still alive! Then he found the strength to open his eyes… He wished he had never done that. In front of him… He saw himself dead on the ground, Sasuke still there. And then he looked at himself. He was wearing the same clothes, and his body was the same. Although, there was something different… No, something that wasn't there before. Hanging from the middle of his chest there was a chain. A grey iron chain. Then, he thought, maybe that chain was something that connected the soul with the body. So, if the chain was now only hanging out of his chest…

"… I'm dead."

"… Sasuke…"

Naruto turned around. Kakashi had arrived. Too late, Naruto thought. He was looking at Sasuke with concern and pain in his eyes.

"… I… I gained the power I wanted…"

"…"

"But… I don't fell… Like I thought I would feel…"

"… That's why… You feel guilty…"

"…"

"… Let's go back to Konoha, Sasuke…"

"… Yes…"

Sasuke stood up, and Kakashi lifted Naruto's body, and then they both walked away. Naruto observed them walking away, and then he smiled weakly.

"Well… At least… I managed to keep my promise… But… I believed that once dead one went to Nirvana… So, why have I become a ghost?"

"Because you still have 'unfinished businesses' in this world."

"!"

Naruto turned around. In front of him was a strange guy. He seemed around 14 years old, like him. He had red hair tied behind his head and strange black tattoos on the back of his neck and… On his eyebrows? He was wearing a strange something on his forehead, like a black forehead protector with an orange horizontal stripe, but without the headband, all made of metal. He was wearing black robes with white trimming and a white cloth belt, and hanging from his waist, a katana in his sheath. He was looking at him like annoyed.

"… Who are you?"

"Well… I'm a Shinigami."

"Shi-Shinigami?"

"Yes. I'm here to take you to the place you call Nirvana, but the real name is Soul Society. Damn, I hate bureaucracy…"

"… So, I'm really dead."

"With your inner organs entirely destroyed, what did you expect? To jump around happy and safe like a bunny at Easter?"

"… I guess… But… You said that I had unfinished business, here."

"… That's why I'm annoyed. What do you want to do?"

"… I suppose I want to see the reactions of my village and my friends for my death."

"Ok… It's understandable, I guess… After trying hard for your entire life to be recognized by it…"

"? How do you know?"

"Well… Let's say that you were a special being…"

"… Heh?"

"That damn fur ball that was sealed inside your stomach, and now, fortunately, is in hell, was sealed by a technique made by your fourth Hokage. A technique who summoned a Shinigami to rip off a soul from a body and to seal it inside something. Doing this… I don't remember the entire scientific thing, but fundamentally they transmitted some Reiatsu to your body and soul."

"Reiatsu?"

"… I'll explain all this when we go to the Soul Society. Now, didn't you want to see how your village reacted?"

"Yes… By the way, have you a name? I don't fell like calling you Shinigami all the time…"

"The name's Abarai Renji. And you're Uzumaki Naruto, I know already."

"Damn… Don't act so cool."

Renji's hidden forehead twitched.

"DO YOU WANT TO FIGHT?"

"HEY! IT'S ONLY THAT YOUR 'I'M ANNOYED BECAUSE I HAVE TO WAIST TIME DOING THIS STUFF' GETS ON MY NERVES! I'M THE ONE DEAD, HERE!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP OR I CAN STILL SEND YOU TO THE SOUL SOCIETY RIGHT NOW! AND THE HELL WITH THE RULES!"

"… Ok. Let's go."

And doing that… Naruto jumped in the air, only to fall on the ground. Renji sweatdropped and place a hand on his face.

"… Don't tell me… You thought that you could actually fly since you're a ghost…"

"… Yes…"

"… Baka…"

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"I… I can't believe this…"

Kakashi dropped Naruto body in front of the Godaime Hokage. Tsunade was trembling, but she restrained herself from crying, because she was the Hokage.

"… I'm sorry I was too late… Sasuke deliberately let himself being captured…"

"… I doubt that the council will punish him too heavily… Because he is the almighty Uchiha and he killed the hated demon…"

"…"

"… But I'll crush them if they refuse of doing him a fine burial."

Unseen from Tsunade and Kakashi, two figures were watching the entire scene. One with his head lowered, and the other annoyed. He had saw he didn't know anymore how much of those scenes.

"… Can I see my burial?"

"… It's your right to see it…"

"… It'll take a while to organize it… In the meanwhile, why don't you talk to me about all this Shinigami and Reiatsu thing?"

"Well… First the basics. Shinigami are an institution who controls both the soul world and the human world, and they reside in the Soul Society. They leave Soul Society when they are going on missions to balance the Spirits in the World. We have fundamentally three duties: 1. Perform the 'Soul Burial' and send ghosts to Soul Society or Hell."

'Hell? I'd rather don't want to see it…'

"2. To regulate and balance the souls in each world. 3. To track down and 'clense' Hollows from the human world."

"Hollows?"

"They're a hostile kind of spirit. They were fundamentally evil humans who turned into Hollows after death. They haunt for spirits and dead people with a high amount of Reiatsu. Reiatsu… Let's say that is the dead form of chakra. We Shinigami use it for fighting."

"Normal people can't see Shinigami, right?"

"Nope… But there are ones who can see and hear ghost and Hollows."

"… I see…" 'I wonder if between my friends there are ones who can see ghosts…'

"By the way, since a Shinigami used Reiatsu to make the seal in your stomach, we suspect that something happened to your soul too."

"My… My soul?"

"Yes. I don't know anything else about it, so we just have to wait for your burial."

"… Understood."

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It was at 10:00 AM. A week after Sasuke's retrieval. All the rookie nines plus Neji's group, with their respective sensei were at the burial, along with Jiraya, Tsunade and Shizune. Even Sasuke and Sakura were there. Naruto and Renji were observing the whole thing from a tree branch. One after another, like when the Sandaime died, all of them approached the coffin with Naruto's body inside, dressed in a white yukata, dropped a flower saying eventually something, and then walked away. The first one was Tsunade. She let out a single tear, and dropped the flower.

"Well… I'm really without hope… I always lose my bets… And that necklace… … It's better for you to take it to the other world, Naruto."

Tsunade kissed Naruto on the forehead and walked away. The next one was Jiraya.

"Tsk… And I believed that you had the potential to become the next Hokage… Well… I'll see you in a few years."

Then… Hinata. Hinata was crying her soul out, sobbing. She wanted to cry loudly but since that was his burial, she simply dropped the flower and walked away. She hadn't been able to speak to him when he was alive, and now that he was dead… It was useless. The next one was Shino. He simply said an almost imperceptible 'Farewell' and walked away. Then, Kiba and Akamaru.

"… Damn you… I bet that you did something stupid…"

"Whine…"

"I know, I know, Akamaru… Well, try to become someone, up there. Good luck."

Then, Choji. He was crying, and he dropped the flower along with a single chip.

"It's… The last one… Just for once… I leave it to you…"

Then, Shikamaru. He approached the coffin and dropped the flower. He observed Naruto for quite a few seconds.

"You know… I will learn from this matter… I'll become a better ninja… For you and for the others…"

Ino's turn. She had a sad look on her face.

"You were… A loudmouth… And a baka… … And a hopeless love-struck fool… We weren't so different. I wish I had managed to know you better, Naruto."

It was Neji's turn. He dropped the flower, his eyes closed.

"… To save someone from the darkness… You let yourself fall into it… You were truly a hero… Naruto."

TenTen. She approached the coffin and dropped the flower.

"You know… You managed to give courage to a big bunch of people… Including Neji… And myself. You brought back Tsunade-sama, after all… It has always been my childhood dream. Thanks, Naruto."

Lee, with Gai. They were both crying.

"Naruto-san… I swear… I swear that I'll become the strongest for you too!"

"Sigh… Lee… Look, his face, even in that coffin… He still seems youthful and full of power…"

"Sniff…"

Sakura. She was crying too, but she had her head low, like not having the courage of looking at Naruto's face. She silently dropped the flower and then she caressed his face.

"I asked… I asked you to bring Sasuke back… … If only I was stronger…"

Then she practically rushed away. Sasuke. He could feel the tension on his skin. He dropped the flower.

"… Naruto… I did something horrible, I know… And I gained… This cursed power… And I don't know if I want it anymore… But I think that destroying my eyes… Would make your death useless… So, I'll treasure this power that I gained from you."

Then she walked away. Then, Shizune, Kurenai, Asuma and Kakashi passed in front of the coffin and dropped a flower. Renji was still annoyed, but then he noticed that a tear was coming out of Naruto's right eye.

"… Sad?"

"… A little."

"… Hey, the white eyed girl and the boy with the enormous eyebrows are able to see you."

"! Really?"

"Yes. You can say farewell to them, if you want. And I can guarantee you an incredible exit…"

"…"

The crew was now in line in front of the coffin, while rain was starting to fall down from the sky. Suddenly, Hinata and Lee jumped on their feet. Behind the coffin there was a familiar figure walking towards it. A too familiar figure. He got on his knees and stared at his own body. Then he looked in front of him, and smiled.

"Na… Naruto-kun…"

"Hinata… Then you see it too…"

"What are you talking about, Lee?"

"I… I can see Naruto… Or better… I think it's his ghost…"

"! What?"

"… I see it too, Lee-san…"

"… Try to be strong even without me, ok?"

Behind Naruto, unseen to all the others, Renji was opening like a portal in the air, using his sword.

"It's time to go, Uzumaki."

"… Farewell, friends…"

And Naruto walked into the portal, but to the others it seemed like he had disappeared into the rain. Renji followed him into the portal. A portal which took both of them… To the Soul Society.

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"Wow… I expected something else…"

"Soul Society is never like a human imagines…"

Naruto was now dressed in a white yukata, the chain was gone, and he was in a town very similar to the ones that he saw when he was alive.

"These are the… Outskirts of the Soul Society, the rukongai. This is the place where all the spirits live."

"And you Shinigami live in the central part, I suppose…"

"Yes. You can call it the Seiretei."

Renji and Naruto walked towards the big, enormous wall which hid the central part of the soul society. In front of them… A giant. An enormous being, dressed the same way as Renji.

"Renji-san…"

"Jidanbou. Open the door."

"Is he going to enter as well?"

"Yes. Special work."

"Understood."

The giant, named Jidanbou opened the enormous door of the Seiretei. The inside was like a little fortified city of the past centuries. Naruto had seen some pictures on books, back at the academy.

"… So, where are you taking me, now?"

"To the 12th Division."

"Uh?"

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"So… This is the boy… Very, very good…"

In front of Naruto was a strange looking man. It seemed that all the Shinigami dressed the same way, but, as Reiji had explained him, since he was a captain, he was wearing a white Robe with the number of their Division in Kanji on the back.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, I must remember you that…"

"I know I know… No experiments. What a shame, though… Well, enter here, young lad."

"…"

The strange looking man, named Kurotsuchi, stretched his hand towards strange machinery. The only normal thing, in the sight of Naruto, was a high glass pillar. Naruto entered it. Kurotsuchi closed the pillar from the outside and then started to work with a monitor surrounded by various levers and keyboards. The pillar was then filled with various beams of violet light, which started to move all around Naruto's body. On the green monitor appeared a silhouette of Naruto's body and various phrases written in a language that Naruto hadn't ever seen. After a few minutes, Naruto walked out of the pillar, and Reiji talked.

"So?"

"We guessed right. His Reiatsu is enormous."

"… He absorbed the Reiatsu used for the seal, then."

"Ehm… Do you mean… That now, I am a Shinigami?"

"Nope. But you have a huge potential."

"The elders had already given their permission, suspecting of this matter."

"Thanks for the information, Captain Kurotsuchi. Now, listen to me, Naruto. Being Shinigami is a complete different thing from being a ninja. There are not hand-seals, and we fight using almost exclusively our Zanpakuto."

"… Zanpawhat?"

"… Our swords. We fight basically using our swords. Also, Hollows are totally different enemies from the ones you used to fight."

"…"

"What do you say?"

"… Well… I only know how to fight… So… I suppose I would really don't know what to do. And it seems that I have even some potential, while back in the ninja world I had to work a lot harder than anyone on the earth only to be a ninja."

"… Ok. Then… Starting from tomorrow, you will start the academy."

"THE ACADEMY AGAIN? Oh, man… And how much it will take?"

"Well… Since in the past life you have been a ninja and this will probably help you a lot… Only two Shinigami years, instead of six."

"Phew… ! Wait a minute. How many human years are two Shinigami years?"

"… … Damn, I always sucked in math."

"I'll answer to his question, Renji-san. Two Shinigami years are 300 human years."

"WHAT?"

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_300 years later_

"Anf… Anf…"

"… Tsk…"

Sweat. Blood. Deep breaths. It was the sunset, in the Seiretei, and after a battle of two hours, two men were still standing. One was Abarai Renji. The other one was named Kotsu Namerigi, actual vice-captain of the 6th Division. To become Vice-Captain or Captain, one must defeat in an official fight his predecessor. The whole audience was looking with interest at the fight. Suddenly, Namerigi newly rushed at Renji, with his Zanpakuto Shikai form active. The sword was like a big leaf. It was a wind Zanpakuto, able to summon gales of wind. Renji dodged to the left, but a gale of wind still managed to cut his right leg.

"Ngh…"

"You're finished!"

"… Zabimaru!"

"!"

Renji's Zabimaru lengthened and grabbed one of Kotsu's ankles, making him fall to the ground. Before Kotsu could stood newly up, Renji was above him, Zabimaru pointed at his throat.

"Anf… Anf…"

"… I lost."

Suddenly, a Shinigami with a strange red hat raised his arm and stretched it towards Renji, saying…

"Winner and new Vice-Captain of the 6th Division… Abarai Renji!"

The crew exploded in waves of applauses, and one boy in particular among the crew was really happy for his friend. A boy around his same age, still an apprentice Shinigami, but still wearing the usual black robes. Like all the apprentices, instead of a Zanpakuto, he had a normal Asauchi. This particular Shinigami apprentice had blonde spiky hair and cerulean eyes, along with strange birth-marks on both his cheeks. After receiving his arm band, Renji got out of the arena, and suddenly the blonde haired apprentice began to head-lock him.

"You did it, you damn baka!"

"Hey! I'm injured, you know!"

"Ahhhh! For a newly Vice-Captain, it should be piece of cake!"

"Think of your own business! Tomorrow you have an exam, you know!"

"Yep! I will finally become a real Shinigami, tomorrow!"

"Try to not fail. Your Shinigami supervisor is Rukia, you know!"

"Yes, yes, don't worry… I will be fine…"

"… I need to get myself healed and you need to rest."

"I know… I'll se you tomorrow, Renji."

"Hey! From now on it's Renji-sama!"

"Wow…"

"… Damn baka…"

Naruto walked away. Renji was right. He needed all his strength for the exam, tomorrow. After all, he would have been his first time…

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"Fighting a Hollow. It's a basic thing for every Shinigami to learn how to fight and defeat Hollows."

50 apprentices Shinigami were all lined up in a large courtyard in the middle of the Shinigami academy, listening to further details about the exam.

"Now, before going, one more thing. Usually, a Shinigami takes care of a Hollow on his own. We act in group only in extremely dangerous occasions. So, don't get used on having a partner. Now, go with your assigned examiner and go."

Naruto searched for Rukia, and he found her leaning against the cherry tree in the middle of the courtyard. He approached her and said…

"Ohayo, Rukia-ch…"

And he received a punch on his head.

"It's Rukia-sama, today, baka. They could think that I did favouritisms or something like that…"

"Ops… Sorry. So, should we go? And where are we going?"

"We are going to the earth, in the city of Okinawa. There's a Hollow wandering on the beach. We'll take care of it… Or better, you will take care of it. I'll join the fight only if you're in trouble."

"Understood… But don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Very well. Then, let's go."

Rukia slashed the air with her Zanpakuto, making a portal to the earth. They both walked in, and the portal closed behind them.

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"So… This is a real Hollow…"

"Yes… The name is Adamantor."

The two Shinigami were on the beach of Okinawa, and in front of them was a tortoise-like Shinigami. The only differences with a real tortoise were the size, the colours ( the head is still tortoise-like, but it's pale white with yellow eyes, and the shell is violet ) and the fact that instead of tortoise paws he had stocky white human arms.

"_**Hmmm… Shinigami… I finally have the pleasure of seeing you… And I will have the pleasure to eat both of you, too."**_

"Ohhh… Quite confident, the tortoise…"

Naruto grabbed the hilt of his Asauchi, determination in his eyes.

"So… Let's begin the exam. You have five minutes."

"… Ok."

"_**Come… Shinigami."**_

"I always wanted to taste a tortoise soup…"

Naruto unleashed his Asauchi, and rushed at the Hollow. He jumped in the air and hit the shell of the tortoise with the sword, landing behind his back.

"_**Stupid…"**_

"As suspected, the shell is very resistant…"

Suddenly, the tortoise lengthened his head, and without moving, tried to bite Naruto. Naruto jumped back and continued to dodge.

"_**You can't run forever…"**_

"And you can't lengthen your neck forever…"

"_**!"**_

Naruto had made the neck of the Hollow tie his same body. Rukia was smirking.

"Great move…"

"Focus the light… Unleash the power… Hide the colour… Destroy my enemies… Destructive art #47: White fireball!"

Naruto grabbed his right wrist with his left hand, and an enormous ball of white light exited his right palm. The fireball hit the tortoise Hollow, making him flying high in the air, landing a few meters far away.

"_**Guh… Damn you…"**_

"… Rukia-chan…"

"Rukia-sama! What?"

"… It's okay if I use my Zanpakuto, now?"

"Well… Since this is your final test… I give you the permission."

"Good! I couldn't wait anymore!"

Naruto replaced his Asauchi in his sheath, and then he began to emit a big amount of Reiatsu, which surrounded his body. The tortoise hollow, in the meanwhile, got back on his feet.

"_**Take this!"**_

The tortoise hollow began to spin on himself, like an enormous spinning top, heading towards Rukia and Naruto. Suddenly, without even noticing if not a second before disappearing, he was on the ground, cut in two halves. In front of him Rukia, with an amused look on his face. Behind him, Naruto, with his Zanpakuto in hand, and the sheath that had moved on his back. And his Zanpakuto… Was enormous. ( Note: The same size as Ichigo ).

'So… So big… He really has an enormous amount of Reiatsu…'

"Yeah! What do you think of it, Rukia-chan?"

"… You pass."

_Continue…_

_In the next chapter…_

Finally graduated! Naruto is now an official Shinigami, and there's a problem… I NEED YOU! I need you to vote in which Division I should put Naruto! If I don't get enough votes, I'll just take one random division. PLEASE, VOTE BETWEEN THESE DIVISIONS!

_5th Division_

_Captain:_ Aizen Sousuke

_Vice-Captain:_ Hinamori Momo

_10th Division_

_Captain:_ Hitsugaya Toushiro

_Vice-Captain:_ Matsumoto Rangiku

_11th Division_

_Captain:_ Zaraki Kenpachi

_Vice-Captain:_ Kusajishi Yachiru

Here's a good site on Bleach: www dot bleachportal dot net


	2. The first mission

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

Hey! Then, you like my story! Let's see what Naruto will do during his first mission on the earth! The Division voting ended! And the winner is…

5th Division:

10th Division: X X X X X 5 Votes

11th Division: X X X X X X X X X X X 11 Votes OO 11/11… XD

Congratulation, Kenpachi-sama! You have a new dummy… Ehm, underling! Let's see how this will go… Now, Enjoy! Ops! Let's first answer to the reviews!

**Red Star Dragon:** Yep. Putting him into the 5th Division would help to develop the story, but I wanted your opinion! And yes, soon the Bleach story will come around. When? After Naruto will achieve his Shikai. I can't say more, like how many chapters it will take… XD

**Dairokkan:** I don't know… For now. XD

**-crazy paranoid psycho-, flames on a white cloak, Battosai25, whitereflection17:**

'_So… So big… He really has an enormous amount of Reiatsu…'_

"_Yeah! What do you think of it, Rukia-chan?"_

"… _You pass."_

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter2: First mission!**

"Next… Uzumaki Naruto."

Applauses. The next new Shinigami walked up for the stairs of the stage, and got on his knees in front of the founder of the Shinigamis' institution: Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni. The old man placed the hilt of his Zanpakuto on the top of Naruto's head, removing from him the seal which restrained him of using his Zanpakuto if not in front of a former Shinigami. Naruto glowed with white light for few seconds, and then stood newly up. He bowed a little and walked away. Down the stage, he was greeted by Renji and Rukia. Rukia smiled at him, while Renji tried to head-lock him, but Naruto dodged, and soon they were fighting.

"Hey, Renji. Cut that out. We have that reunion in half an hour…"

Renji stopped biting Naruto's head, and suddenly remembered.

"Oh, yeah! We should go!"

"What kind of reunion?"

"It involves you as well, you know. It's the reunion to decide in which Division you should be put."

"REALLY? PLEASE, MAKE ME ENTER THE 10th DIVISION!"

"… What's up with him, Renji?"

"He has a crush on Matsumoto Rangiku, like almost all the male academy students."

"Ahhh… Understood."

And then, Rukia smashed Naruto's head with the flat of her sword, making him fall unconscious on the ground.

"… And almost all of them pass on that crush this way, if I remember correctly…"

"… Very well."

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"So, it remains only Naruto Uzumaki."

All the Captains and Vice-Captains of the Gotei 13, plus the Shinigami who examined the students were all sitting around a large table. A little pink haired girl was snoring on the shoulder of a tall man with one of his eyes covered and his black hair were enormous horizontal spikes pointing the back of his head.

"We noticed this guy when he was still alive, since a ninja of his world developed a technique which summoned one of us to seal a powerful demon."

"That's why we got able to enter another universe. And that's why we got able to transfer his soul to the Soul Society. He has absorbed all the Reiatsu used by the Shinigami, so he was the one with the most stamina among the students."

"He was the seventh in Destructive arts, but he sucked at Healing arts. So, the 4th Division is not for him."

"During the fight with the Shinigami he showed an enormous attack power and fine fighting tactics. So… I think he should be put into the 5th, the 10th or the 11th Division."

'Damn… NOT THE 10th DIVISION! THAT BAKA WILL WASTE HIS TIME TRYING TO ASK OUT TO RANGIKU!'

'Too bad… I've always wanted to boss him around…'

"What are his attitudes?"

"Well… He usually spars with me a lot. He likes very much to fight, even if he has not managed to beat me once…"

Hearing this, the spiky haired captain finally got interested in the conversation.

"Uhuhuh… He likes to fight…"

'Oh, man… How stupid of me. I said it in front of Zaraki Kenpachi, the bloodthirsty captain of the 11th Division.'

"Well, what fighting style does he usually prefers?"

"Well… He has fine strategy, but he uses it only when he can't rely on his fighting skills only. And… Ehr… 'Damn math… … I got it!' "Let's say that in a fight 75 of the time he uses his Zanpakuto, and 35 he uses Shinigami arts."

"…"

All the others stared at Renji, who eyes wide opened, who placing a hand on his forehead, who sweatdropping, who sighing, and the little girl continued to snore.

"… What's up? Why are you staring at me?"

"Renji… 75 and 35 makes 110… Maybe you wanted to say 75 and 25…"

"… Ah."

"Very well. Then, I think that the 11th Division suits him perfectly, then. Zaraki-san?"

"Eheheh… I agree. I will take him under my command."

"Very well. Here's his file. A really good purchase. Ohohoh…"

"Thanks, Yamamoto-sama… I can't wait to taste… Ehm, test him…"

"… I really hope, for Naruto's sake, that it was a lapsus lingue." Renji whispered into Rukia's ear.

"Yes…" Rukia replied sweatdropping.

Kenpachi took Naruto's file, with four photos ( In one of them he was smirking, in another one he was simply smiling, and the other two were his right and left profile ) and all his stats. Suddenly, feeling Kenpachi's, or better Ken-chan, as she calls him, the little girl woke up.

"Uhm… Ken-chan, what's up?"

"We have a new underling, Yachiru. A promising one, indeed… Look, this is his photo."

"Uh?"

Yachiru looked at Naruto's file that Kenpachi was holding. She stared at the photo. Then, suddenly, in an incredibly quick move, she snatched the file out of Kenpachi's hand, and moved it at two inches from her face. Spiky blonde hair... Cerulean eyes… Tall… Foxy grin… Strange birthmarks… Charming smile…

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"Awww… Rukia-chan, you sure hit hard… Uh?"

Naruto woke up, at last. He stood up and looked around. There was no one around.

"THEY LEAVED ME ASLEEP ON THE GROUND? Darn…"

Suddenly, an incredibly loud screech perched Naruto's ears and almost made him lose balance.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA! HOW CUTE!"

"… What the?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So… Home sweet home."

Naruto was in front of the main entrance of the headquarter of the 11th Division. It looked like an enormous Dojo, and from the outside Naruto could see a few sakura ( cherry ) trees.

"… Sakura trees…"

_Flashback_

"_I still can't understand, Rukia-chan…"_

"_Uff… How many times have I to say this? Every dimension has his own Nirvana and Hell. We managed to take you to our Nirvana because your soul was full of the energy of a Shinigami."_

"…"

"_That's why you'll never be able to see your friends again, even if they're dead."_

"… _Understood."_

"…"

"…"

"… _I'm sorry, Naruto…"_

"… _It's okay…"_

_End of the flashback_

"And I heard that the Vice-Captain of the 11th Division has pink hair… Tsk… Well, should I knock the door?"

Naruto knocked the door twice… And suddenly, he was flying in the air. The panel under his feet had propelled him high in the air. He was now above the enormous inner garden of the headquarter.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Naruto fell to the ground, face on the floor. He slowly got back on his feet, and he looked around. Suddenly, he felt a presence behind his back. A man wielding a Zanpakuto was falling from above.

"!"

"Defend yourself!"

Naruto quickly grabbed his Zanpakuto and parried his enemy's attack. Still, the pressure was enormous, both spiritual and physical.

'What… What power…'

"Uhm… Nice work, to stop a blow from my Zanpakuto… Even if I'm not using all my power."

'WHAT?'

Then, Naruto noticed who his opponent was. His right eye covered… Spiky black hair… The white robe of the captains… Zaraki Kenpachi, the Captain of the 11th Division.

'Oh, man… I heard that he was frightening, but I didn't believe this much…'

"Ohhhh!"

"!"

Without even moving his sword, Kenpachi unleashed an enormous amount of Reiatsu from the blade, and an explosion blew up. Suddenly, he felt his Zanpakuto connecting with the ground. He looked in front of him. Naruto was panting, but he was unharmed.

"You used a blast of Reiatsu too to protect yourself… Nice trick."

"Wait… Captain Kenpachi…"

"Get ready!"

"AAAAAAARGH!"

"Ken-chan, aren't you going a little too far?"

"?"

"!"

On a sakura tree was a little girl around 13 years old. Naruto hadn't noticed her before because her pink hair camouflaged her.

'She is the Vice-Captain… So young? Well, the captain of the 10th Division is fourteen… ( Note: I'm talking in Shinigami terms, here. )'

"He used almost all his Reiatsu to parry your last attack. He did well, it seems to me."

"… Yes, but you know how I am… When I got into the battle, it's hard to stop me."

'SO HE WAS GOING TO CONTINUE?'

"Hop!"

Yachiru jumped off the tree and approached Naruto. She smiled, and the said…

"Hi! My name's Kusajishi Yachiru! Vice-Captain of the 11th Division! But you can call me Yachiru-chan!"

"… Nice to meet ya, Yachiru-sam… Ehm… Ya-Yachiru-chan?" 'This voice… Hey!' "Ehm… Where you the one who yesterday screeched so loudly to broke half of the glasses in the Seiretei?"

"Oh! You heard me!"

Quickly Yachiru jumped back, and hid her now flushing self behind Kenpachi's shoulder. Only the forehead and the eyes could be seen.

"Ahahahah… You're finally in that age, Yachiru."

'That age?'

"However, Uzumaki, I'm the Captain of the 11th Division, Zaraki Kenpachi. I'll tell you this from now. Here, we train hard to improve our fighting skills, and it's better for you to not be found lazing off by me, understood?"

"… Yes, Captain."

"Very well. Now, Yachiru, show him the way to the dormitories."

"What? ME?"

"Do you see anyone else, here, with pink hair?"

"Ahhh! Ken-chan!"

Yachiru began to walk off, and Naruto, after a bit of hesitation, followed her. Then, Kenpachi slapped his head. He had forgot to tell Naruto about Yachiru's little problem.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ehm… Maybe it was this way…"

'Man, this girl has no sense of direction.'

After half an hour, Naruto and Yachiru were still wandering around, looking for the dormitories.

"Ehm… Did we get lost?"

"No! It's only that… I really don't know where we are! Ahahahahahah… ' "

"… Great…"

But Kami came to help, in the form of Madarame Ikkaku. The bald boy had just walked in sight from another corridor.

"Uh? Yachiru-sama… And who is the new boy?"

"Ah! Ikkaku! Thanks Kami… This is Naruto, a new member of our Division. And… Ehm…"

"We got lost while searching for the dormitories."

"Ahahah! Typical of Yachiru-sama!"

"Shut up! I'll tell Ken-chan!"

"Well, I'm Madarame Ikkaku, 3rd seat of the 11th Division. Follow me, if you want to reach the dormitories. And your room, Yachiru-sama, is the third one on the right of the second corridor on the left."

"Uff… See ya later, Naruto-chan!"

"Ok… Yachiru-sam… Ehm Yachiru-chan."

And Yachiru walked away, leaving a relieved Naruto and an amused Ikkaku.

"Yachiru-chan? AND SHE LETS YOU CALLING HER LIKE THAT?"

"Ehm… Actually, she told me I can…"

"WHAT? Man, only Captain Zaraki can call her like that… And he doesn't. Repute yourself fortunate. I think she likes you."

"Really? Good to know."

"Well… Since you're new, here, I'll tell you a few things while I show you your room. First: No slacking off. Second: One time at week, the entire Division endures a special training, and only the ones on missions can jump it."

"Understood… And what is this special training?"

"Trying to survive for half an hour fighting with Captain Zaraki and Yachiru-sama without using Zanpakuto or Shinigami arts."

"OO For surviving… You mean… Not letting yourself being hit, right?"

"Yes. Captain Zaraki doesn't kill anyone, during training."

"Phew…"

"Well, here you go. I'll see ya later."

Naruto observed Ikkaku walking away and then he opened the door of his room, thinking…

'This Division… Is full of strange people.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"654! 655!"

Naruto was in the central garden of the 11th Division, practicing his sword skills. He was sweating, since he was practicing from two hours already.

"Anf… Anf… 656!"

"Training hard, nh?"

"!"

Naruto turned around. Another new face. This one was quite the girly dude, with one of his eyes covered by his hair.

"And… You are?"

"How rude… The name's Ayasegawa Yumichika, 5th seat of the 11th Division."

"Ah! I apologize."

"You must be Naruto… The new boy."

"Ehm… Why were you searching for me?"

"Well, I suggest you to take a shower, first. Then, come to the 'War Room'."

"War Room?"

"The reunion place. We call it like that."

"Ah… Can I ask why?"

"It's about your first mission."

"!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The war room was a large room where all the Division members from the captain till number 13th reunited to discuss matters or to assign missions. In the room were now Zaraki, Ikkaku and Yumichika. Naruto was standing.

"Well… I suppose you want to know about your mission."

"Yes."

"Well, in the human world there's a city where there's quite a spiritual turbulence. We suspect that soon a Hollow will appear. You're going to patrol that city for seven days. If we'll detect a Hollow appearing, we'll send you information to the Reiphone."

"Yes, Captain. Can I ask which city needs my help?"

"It's in Italy. It's called Rome."

"… Yes, sir." 'Italy…'

"Ah. Take this."

"Uh?"

Zaraki tossed to Naruto an item which seemed like a little cylindrical candy container, in the shape of a cat. 'Soul Candy' was written on it.

"Soul… Candy?"

"The original name was Gikongan, but the Shinigami women's association wasn't a cute name, so… Well, the Soul Candy contains an artificial personality. Since you'll have to stay in a Gikai for eventual investigations, you'll need to eat one of those candies. You will be forcibly put out of the Gikai and the artificial soul will take control of your body."

"… Understood. When I depart?"

"Right now."

"Yes, Captain."

Naruto slashed the air with his Zanpakuto, revealing a portal. He was going to walk into it, when…

"Naruto…"

"Yes?"

"We have your Gikai, here."

And Zaraki slammed a Gikai of Naruto dressed with jeans and a white t-shirt with the emblem of Nike, and a pair of air Nike straight on the table.

"HAND IT CAREFULLY, DAMMIT! OOOOPS! SORRY! I APOLOGIZE, CAPTAIN!"

"That's ok… But in return, you'll have to fight me when you'll come back."

"ONE MORE TIME!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wow… It's a beautiful city, Rome, nh?"

Naruto was in Rome, in his Gikai. He was in 'Piazza di Spagna' ( Spain Plaza ), looking around. This world was quite different from his own. The city was full of people. The clothes were much different, and they based their living more on technology, and, more or less, it wasn't a world always at war.

"Well… Since I can't do anything till I receive orders, I can visit the city. Uhm… According to this guide, if I walk up there, I will end in the panoramic terrace of Pincio. There's a beautiful sight, from there. Well, let's… !"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

A boy came flying down from the set of stairs. Naruto barely dodged it ducking. He looked upon the set of stairs. Upon it was a girl wearing a pair of black boots, a pair of jeans pants and a blue t-shirt with the writing 'Stare and you're dead' in black. The girl had short black hair, spiky in some way, and black eyes. She was tall and slender.

"Try to grope me one more time, and I'll break your every bone."

"Merda… Puttana… ( Note: I'll put Italian words every each and often, since we are in Rome and I'll translate! 'Shit… Bitch…' )"

The guy rushed away, wiping out a bit of blood coming out of his mouth. Naruto then turned to look at the girl, who was descending the stairs, since she had noticed that she had almost launched the boy on another boy.

"St… Stai… bene? ( Are you okay? ) " 'Damn Italian…'

"Eh? S-si." ( Eh? Y-Yes. )

"Uff… Thanks Kami-sama…"

"Uh? Do you speak Japanese?"

"Eh? You too? How fortunate! I'm not very good with Italian, you know…"

"Ah, well… I'm Japanese too. The name's Uzumaki Naruto. What about you?"

"Arisawa. Arisawa Tatsuki."

"So… What are you doing here in Rome? And why was that guy flying?"

"First answer: Summer holidays. Second answer: SHE GROPED ME!"

"Ah… Understood. Well, I was going to visit Rome too, so… What do you say if we hang up?"

"Hey… I have to warn you. I'm the captain of the Karate team of my school."

"Well, one more reason to not fear me. So, what about it?"

"…"

"…"

"… Ok. I can eventually kick your sorry ass, so…"

"Glad to hear that. So… Where?"

"Well… There's the Church of Santa Trinità dei monti, near hear…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… Ok. Let's go to Via dei Condotti. ( Condotti avenue ). There are a lot of boutiques…"

"That's what I wanted to hear."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"OUCH!"

"Baka! That's a mirror!"

It was evening, and Naruto and Tatsuki were in the amusement park of Eur, in the district of Eur ( I know, it's strange, but it's true. ), in the Mirror Maze, and Naruto had just hit a mirror with his head, and Tatsuki was laughing her soul out. After a few minutes, they finally found the exit.

"Dammit… Stupid mirrors…"

"Ahahah… It's the first time I see someone bouncing into a mirror!"

"It's not that funny… Those things hurt!"

"Yeah, yeah… What about a pizza? The best is in Naples, but I read that there's a place near here quite…"

"Ehi! È lei! ( Hey! It's her! ) "

"?"

Naruto and Tatsuki turned around, and they saw the guy who Tatsuki sent flying that morning, with a few of his friends. They quickly surrounded the two, in a circle.

"È ora di pagare, puttana… ( It's payback time, bitch… ) "

"Wow… Quite courageous. Six versus one…"

"Hey. Count me in. I can fight!"

"And what can you do?"

"Uhm…"

Naruto noticed a walking stick on the ground. Someone had dropped it, probably. Naruto grabbed it while one of the six attackers was rushing at him. And a second after, the attacker was flying up in the air, and Naruto had just swung the walking stick. Tatsuki was staring at him in disbelief.

"Wow… Do you practice Kendo?" And saying that she punched in the face another guy, without even looking at him.

"Yes. What about you?"

"Karate. Black belt."

And in a minute all the attackers were unconscious on the ground. Tatsuki dusted off his clothes, and Naruto dropped the walking stick. Then they both looked at each other, and they smiled.

"You're though, for a girl…"

"You too… For being a boy who bleaches his hair."

"Hey… Blonde is my natural colour! Uh?"

The Reiphone suddenly rang. Naruto took it. A Hollow. In…

'In Città del Vaticano! But it's a sacred place! It's the residence of the Pope, dammit! Well, Hollows doesn't know about religion… Anymore.' "Sorry, gotta go."

"Too bad… Well… Can we see each other tomorrow?"

"Well… I'll be around for other six days, so… Why not! What about… Tomorrow at 10:00 AM at the Capitol?"

"That's ok with me. See ya tomorrow, then!"

"Ok! See ya!"

And saying that, Naruto rushed away. Tatsuki waved off, and suddenly her phone too rang.

"Yes? Orihime! Fool girl! You're calling from Japan to Italy, you… … You're calling from another house? … You tripped off on a trash can and ended up into it? Oh, Orihime… … Yes, I'm doing fine. … Interesting things? Well… I met a boy, this morning… … STOP THIS NONSENSE! … No, I'll take a photo of him tomorrow. Ok…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto rushed at the place signalled on the Reiphone. When he arrived in front of San Peter's Basilica, he took out the Soul Candy and ate it. Suddenly he was out of his body, in his Shinigami uniform, and his body was moving on his own.

"Wow… Quick…"

"Hello. Nice to meet ya, Master."

"Uhm… What's your name?"

"Uh?"

"I feel uneasy calling you Naruto, since I am Naruto… Don't you have a name?"

"… Nope…"

"Uhm… What about Gin? Since you're a Gikongan…"

"…" 'And I expected to…' "!"

"It's here…"

A loud scream echoed in the air, and a portal was opening in the air. An enormous white clawed hand was coming out of it.

"Here it comes!"

_Continue…_

_In the next chapter…_

Naruto fights the appeared Hollow and meets Tatsuki again. However, it's not finished. Another Hollow makes his appearance… And things get dangerous. Stay tuned!


	3. How are Menos born?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

Very very well… It seems that you liked this Italian vacation! XD

'_In Città del Vaticano! But it's a sacred place! It's the residence of the Pope, dammit! Well, Hollows doesn't know about religion… Anymore.' "It's here… Here it comes!"_

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter3: How are Menos born?**

Naruto looked above his head. A black hole appeared in the sky, and from inside it exited a Hollow. This one's body was hedgehog like, full of spikes, and the only thing white was the mask.

"… Hurry and hide in a safe place."

"… Understood."

Gin rushed away, leaving Naruto to fight his second Hollow. The monster noticed him and slowly turned versus him.

"_**Ohhhh… A Shinigami, right? You sure smell tasty…"**_

"I don't know if you'll like the taste of my Zanpakuto, though…"

"_**Pretty confident… Take this! Hedgehog rush!"**_

"WHAT?"

The Hollow curled up in a ball and started to run towards Naruto. Naruto dodged, and the Hollow, without stopping his rolling, turned back and rushed newly at him.

"… I bet this one played too much Sonic the Hedgehog in his life…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_We're sorry for the interruption, but it's an informational break._

Aaaaaaand… Here's Ururu's guide to Bleach! ( Star Wars theme on! ) Ururu walks in, dressed like Obi-Wan and bows, and then she puts a letter out of her dress.

"Dear Ururu, why Shinigami, and particularly Naruto, knows about things like videogames? Peter. Dear Peter, Shinigami must learn all things about human life, to better disguise them as Shinigami and to better investigate about their obsessions or 'unfinished businesses'. I hope to have been useful to you."

She's so cute! Applauses!

_The show will start again soon._

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well… I'm not going to be killed by some psycho otaku of videogames."

"_**Die!"**_

"Ah!"

"_**!"**_

Naruto unsheathed his sword and swung it in front of him. He stopped the rotation of the Hollow, blocking a few of his spikes.

"_**! What!"**_

"If I can't hit you because of your rotation, then I will simply block you rotation."

'**_How… How could he see my spikes while I was rotating?'_**

"Back in my life, I used to see things much faster than your so-called rotation."

"_**!"**_

Naruto grabbed the hilt of the sword with both hands, and with a fine strong blow he cut in half the Hollow, who disappeared soon after.

"Uhm… This one went to the Soul Society… Maybe ones who were evil humans in life are strongest… Mah. Hey, Gin. You can come out, now."

"…"

Gin suddenly came out of behind the pillar.

"Hey… What's with the look?"

"You took care of it rather quickly, master."

"Ahhh… Call me Naruto. And it was piece of cake."

"… Then, I'll return in the soul candy."

"Yes… See ya later."

Naruto put on a Soul Glove ( Note: The thing Rukia used to put forcibly out Ichigo's soul from his body. ) and extracted the Soul Body from his Gigai. Then he re-entered it.

"Uhm… Now, should I take a nap?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was 10:00 AM. Time for the appointment. And Naruto was in front of the Capitol, wearing a blue t-shirt with a white star on it, and a pair of large jeans ripped in various points. Suddenly, he saw a man coming out of a limo. An almost bald one.

"If I remember well he should be the Italian first minister… He also visited Bush at Washington. How was his name? Silvio… Perlusconi… Merlusconi… ( Note: The real name is Silvio Berlusconi! But we don't have a big liking for him… ) Mah!"

"Hey! Naruto!"

"? Oh! Tatsuki!"

Tatsuki had finally arrived. She was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a blue t-shirt with the writing 'Don't touch! Danger for you only!'.

"Hey… Someone might think we dressed the same on purpose…"

"I'll just beat the hell out of them! Shall we go?"

"Ok. Where to?"

"Uhm… I wanted to see the Coliseum, today."

"Ok. Then, to the Coliseum!"

"Hey! Don't be so energetic, dammit!"

"Why? Fear you can't catch up?"

"WHAT? THEN LET'S SEE WHO THE FIRST TO REACH THE METRO IS!"

"Ok! See ya later, then…"

"That's my line!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Anf… Anf… In the end… We didn't… Take… The metro…"

"Right… What… A moron…"

"Hey… I didn't start it…"

"Well… Here we are…"

Naruto and Tatsuki had finally arrived at the Coliseum, panting hard, because they got carried away by their little competition.

"Well… It's a beautiful place."

"It's a shame that isn't allowed to see it from the inside… Or maybe…"

"Or maybe?"

Tatsuki started to walk over the chains which were like saying 'Keep out!'.

"Hey! We can't…"

"SHHHHH! Shut up! Come on! Only five minutes!"

"… Uff, okay. But be prepared to run!"

"Ok…"

The two walked into the Coliseum, and soon… They were in the arena where many Gladiators fought in the past times in front of the emperors.

"Wow! It's really another thing than seeing it on a book!"

"Yes… I must agree… Uh?"

The Reiphone suddenly rang. Naruto immediately took it out of his pocket.

'Damn it, not now… A Hollow is to appear… !'

Naruto went eyes wide open. The Hollow was about to appear… And the writing said: 'Coliseum.' Then, Naruto immediately looked up. A black hole. And something falling out of it. While searching for Gin, he said…

"Tatsuki! Watch out!"

"Wh… Ahhhhh!"

The Hollow fell behind Tatsuki, knocking her to the ground. She hit a small rock and fell unconscious. Immediately, Naruto took her from the ground, in his Shinigami form, while Gin took control of his Gigai. They both looked at their opponent. It was a Hollow with a white body and a purple mane. His mask had two enormous sable-like teeth. The lower part of his body was lion-like, and the upper part human like, with two incredibly long and busty arms. And claws showed themselves on both the hands and the pawns of the hollow. He looked around, and then his gaze locked on the three beings in front of him.

"**_A Shinigami… A human… And a Gigai with a Gikongan inside… Uhm… A tasty lunch, I must say."_**

"…" 'This Hollow… Is completely different from the other two I fought till now… His Reiatsu amount… Is enormous.'

"How fortunate. Right after arriving, I find my preys…"

"… Gin, take Tatsuki out of here!"

"Yes."

Naruto handed Tatsuki to Gin, who began to run away with the girl in his arms.

"… _**How pathetic…"**_

"!"

The Hollow moved at a very fast rate, and in a few seconds he was in front of Gin, his right claw raised.

"_**Do you really believe that a predator lets his preys run away so easily?"**_

"!"

"_**For this carefulness… You should die."**_

The Hollow lowered his claw to hit Gin and Tatsuki.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Damn… Big troubles."

Ikkaku was running trough the 11th Division headquarters, to the war room. He walked in to find Captain Zaraki sleeping in his chair.

"C-Captain Zaraki!"

"Zzz… Uh? Ah, Ikkaku. What's up?"

"Terrible news! Another Hollow appeared in the city where Naruto was sent!"

"Well… So? We warned him…"

"Yes… But this is A Hollow! Look!"

"?"

Ikkaku handed to Zaraki a paper. On the paper were the photo of the Hollow and a few stats.

"Name: Cannibalion. An A class Hollow, guilty of already killing ten Shinigami…"

"Naruto is just a rookie! There's no way that he can fight a Hollow of A Class! We need at least three other rookies or one Shinigami able to use Shikai to take it down without problems!"

"…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The claw never connected with Gin and Tatsuki. Because Naruto had parried his attack with his Zanpakuto.

"… _**Very quick…"**_

'Damn… What strength…'

"… Naruto, he will not let us get away."

"… Then, try to stay away from us while we were fighting."

"_**Then, let's fight, Shinigami. I'll have the human and the Gikongan for dessert."**_

"…"

Naruto backed off from the Hollow with a jump. When Gin and Tatsuki were out of reach for attacks, he rushed newly at the hollow. He tried to slash him horizontally, but the Hollow simply jumped high in the air, and started to fall on him with his claws stretched.

'What a jumping ability…'

"_**Haaaaaar!"**_

Naruto jumped back just in time to dodge Cannibalion's attack.

'If his ability is to jump, I only have to be careful about his timing…'

"_**Rooar!"**_

"!"

Suddenly Cannibalion turned his head towards Naruto, and opening his mouth he shot a ball of pure Reiatsu. Naruto parried the attack with his Zanpakuto, but he got pushed by the enormous power of the blow, and he crushed onto the stands of the Coliseum, and the blow exploded on him.

"!"

Naruto stood newly up in the smoke, eye coming out of a cut on his forehead. Suddenly, something grabbed him by the waist and carried him out of the smoke. Cannibalion's tongue.

"!"

"_**Die!"**_

Using his tongue like a lazo, Cannibalion smashed Naruto in the middle of the arena, with enough strength to make him create a crater in the ground.

"Gaah!"

"_**Eheheh…"**_

"… How can you… Have so many different abilities?"

"_**Do you know how Menos are born?"**_

"? Menos? As Menos Grande?"

"_**Exactly. How?"**_

"… They are born when a large number of Hollows congregate and fuse…"

"_**Yes. That's one way. The other way is for a Hollow to eat others of his kind."**_

"!"

"**_A Menos can use all the abilities of the Hollows he eats."_**

"… Now I understand why you're named Cannibalion."

Cannibalion loosened the grip on Naruto, and his tongue turned back normal…

"_**!"**_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"… You said without problems…"

"?"

"You can't learn anything in a fight, if the fight doesn't put you against difficulties."

"…"

"And if you want to face and destroy those difficulties, life must be put on the line. I thought this to you too, Ikkaku…"

"… Yes. I'm sorry, captain. It's only that… Naruto is promising. And it would be a shame for him to be killed by a Hollow."

"Yes… He's strong… That's why I have faith in his victory."

"… Yes."

'And I can't wait to see how much stronger he will come back from this mission…'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cannibalion suddenly found out that he had problems talking. Why? Because his tongue was now slashed in two pieces. One still connected to his body, bleeding, and the other one was at Naruto's feet. His Zanpakuto was covered in a trail of blood.

"… Phyou…"

"Don't do that face, scaredy-cat. I'm certain that you have a healing ability too, right?"

"…"

Cannibalion's tongue glowed, and in a few seconds it was like new.

"… I'll make you suffer for this."

"…" 'It's certain a though fight. He has I don't know how many different abilities… And I can't let him hit Tatsuki or Gin. I must end this quickly… … If my theory is right… I have only this way.'

"Aaaaargh!"

"!"

Suddenly, the ground moved under Naruto's feet. It acted like a catapult, sending him flying in the air. Cannibalion jumped and punched Naruto with both his hands joined.

"Guh…"

"It's not over, you punk!"

Cannibalion newly grabbed Naruto with his tongue, and he landed on the ground. He smashed Naruto about fifteen times all over the arena, making a crater after a crater. Gin was watching the scene horrified from his hiding place.

'It's… It's terrible… Maybe I should help him… But he would discover my secret…'

"…" 'Damn it…'

"Aaaaaargh!"

Cannibalion jumped the highest he could in the air, his tongue and Naruto behind his back. Then he moved his entire body forward, smashing Naruto into the ground with all the strength he had. The Coliseum trembled for the shaking.

"Final blow! Rei Blast!"

An enormous ball of Reiatsu exited Cannibalion's mouth. The explosion filled the entire arena of the Coliseum, and the light could probably be seen in all Rome. Cannibalion landed on the ground, panting.

"Damn… Shinigami… But now… You're finished…"

"…" 'Naruto-san…'

"… !"

From the smoke covering the huge crater exited a bloody figure. A Shinigami all covered in blood. His face. His hair. His hand. His Zanpakuto. But he was still alive. And more than a Shinigami, he now looked like a demon.

"… Impossible…"

"What a hit… If I hadn't used a Demon Art to protect myself, now I will probably be done for…"

"How… Can you…"

"Your fatigue confirms my theory."

"… What… Are you talking… About?"

"I thought: if is so convenient to become a Menos eating other Hollows, why are you maybe the only one who does it?"

"?"

"The answer is simple. Even if you gain their abilities, you don't obtain enough Reiatsu to use them."

"!"

"That's why Menos are usually born when Hollows fuse together. Probably it's the only way to reach the right amount of Reiatsu."

"… Don't… Don't tell me…"

"Yes. I provoked you on purpose; to make you use all your powerful attacks at once, waiting for you to finish you Reiatsu."

"But… You couldn't know… If I could kill you in the process…"

"… Yes. It was a hazard… But I like hazards."

"!"

Naruto grabbed the hilt of his Zanpakuto, and he began to emit Reiatsu. All his Reiatsu at once. The waves of spiritual energy began to move dust and little rocks. Cannibalion began to sweat.

"What about you? Do you want to take the hazard of trying to survive after being hit by a blow strengthened by all my Reiatsu?"

"…"

"Tsk… What a question…"

"!"

Suddenly Cannibalion felt pain. Naruto had slashed him four times in the chest, two diagonally, one horizontally and another one vertically. Blood started to come out of it, and he fell on the ground, on his back.

"Phew… I really used all my Reiatsu in that last attack… Fortunately I have that medicine in the pocket. Hey, Gin! Come out and toss it to me!"

"…"

Gin come out and looked at Naruto. Then, his face went blank. He rushed at Naruto and behind him.

"Hey… What the… !"

Cannibalion's body was smoking. Gin picked it up with his hands… And then he launched him very, very, very high in the sky… Where the body exploded. Naruto couldn't believe his eyes.

"… You're not a Gikongan…"

"… No. I'm a Mod-Soul."

"They should have been all destroyed…"

"I'm probably the last one. I ended up in the Gikongan stock for an error."

"… You know what I should do to you, right?"

"… Come on. Kill me. I'm just a tool of war, after all…"

"…"

_Flashback_

"_I only considered Haku as a tool."_

"_Ninja must only be war tools. It was the same for Zabuza… And that child."_

"… _Then, I decided! I will become ninja in my own way!"_

_End of the flashback_

"You're… Such an idiot."

"Uh?"

Naruto poked hardly Gin on his forehead. Then again, and again, and again…

"I said that you're an idiot! Idiot!"

"Hey! Stop that!"

"How could I kill you? First: I'm energy low, now. And with your amazing arms strength, you could probably kick my ass and flew. Second: Even if I was in full health, you're into my Gigai! And I still need it for six days, you know! Third: You have my medicine in the right pocket of the jeans. And Fourth…"

"…"

"I'm not such a bastard to kill someone who saved me and a friend of mine. And especially, I can't kill someone with a personality and feelings so easily."

"…"

"Are you going to stare at me like that for how much time? Gimme the medicine, dammit!"

Naruto started to search in his jeans for a little bottle. He found it. He drank all the liquid inside, while Gin was still staring.

"Ahhh… What a bad taste… Well, since you're going to be my Gikongan and my personal mod-soul, I'll find you a body, sooner or later. Now, I need my Gikongan. Police is sure coming."

"… Yes."

"Goodnight, Gin."

The last thing Gin saw was the gloved hand of Naruto.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tatsuki woke up. Her eyes blinked a few times. It was evening, and she was in her hotel room. She looked around, and she saw Naruto reading a magazine seated in a sofa.

"Naruto…"

"Ah! You're finally awake!"

"What happened? I remember we were in the Coliseum…"

"I think… It was a sort of terrorist attack. There have been a lot of explosions, and the Coliseum got damaged."

"Really?"

"They're telling it on the News too."

"… Thanks for taking me here. By the way, how did you know about where I was staying?"

"I found the address on the note in your wallet."

"Ah. So… !"

Tatsuki suddenly realized something. Her wallet was in the back pocket of her jeans. So that meant that Naruto, to take it out, must have…

"YOU SICK PERVERT!"

"OUCH!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well… I suppose is good-bye."

"Yes…"

Naruto was with Tatsuki at the airport. Last day of vacancies for the both of them.

"I hope to see you again."

"… Me too." 'But I doubt we will.'

"Well… Last call for my fly. Goodbye, Naruto."

And then… Tatsuki did something that he had never done to any male before. She kissed Naruto on the cheek and then she rushed away, waving with his right hand. Naruto slowly massaged the point where she had kissed him.

"Now, you'll probably never change this Gigai."

"SHHH! I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP! A TALKING ACTION FIGURE OF EDDIE GUERRERO IS A BIT UNUSUAL TO SEE!"

Yes… Because Naruto, since he couldn't find a dead animal body, he put Gin inside a 60cm tall action figure of Eddie Guerrero, which was now holding inside a sack. ( Note: Why Eddie Guerrero? BECAUSE I WAS ONE OF HIS GREATEST FAN! THAT'S WHY! TT ) Then he rushed outside the airport and used another Gikongan to exit his Gigai. Then he immediately put out the Gikongan to keep Gin's presence hidden. Then he grabbed his Zanpakuto and stabbed the air. Then, he turned it clock-wise. A door of a dojo appeared. He walked inside it carrying his Gigai and he was in the War Room. Kenpachi, Yachiru and Ikkaku were there.

"Ahhh! Welcome back, Naruto-chan!"

"You managed to beat him."

"… How was your mission?"

"Great!"

"… And your fight?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… I got… Actually turned on."

"Hmph. As expected. Good job, Naruto."

"Thanks, Captain!"

And Naruto bowed and was about to walk away, when…

"Where do you think you're going?"

"?"

Naruto felt a terrible spiritual pressure. Captain Kenpachi's one. He slowly turned around, sweating.

"You promised me a fight…"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

_Continue…_

_In the next chapter…_

Naruto walks around the Seiretei. He knows about Rukia's disappearance and he makes a new friend and an embarrassing encounter. And… The Shinigami Tournament is about to start! Stay tuned!

_Next chapter:_

News, friends and girls


	4. News, friends and girls

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

Ooooooooook… Well, you want to know about this strange idea of the tournament, right? Well, in Bleach Yourichi tells once to Byakuka that he did never win against her in a competition… So, I thought, what if there were different competitions? Now, let's answer to the reviews!

"_Well… Last call for my flight. Goodbye, Naruto."_

"_Now, you'll probably never change this Gigai."_

"_SHHH! I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP! A TALKING ACTION FIGURE OF EDDIE GUERRERO IS A BIT UNUSUAL TO SEE!"_

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter4: News, friends and girls**

Renji was really worried about a certain thing, and he was walking to Naruto's room, to talk to him about the matter. He knocked twice at the door… Nothing. No answer. He leaned the ear next to the door and he felt…

'Sobs?'

Renji, amused opened the door. He found a crying Naruto watching TV.

"Naruto…"

"Sniff? Ah, Renji…"

"… What's up?"

"Well… When I was in Rome, I heard about this wrestling thing. So I got curious and I wanted to take a look…"

"So?"

"I got a liking for it…"

"… And?"

"MY FAVORITE WRESTLER IS EDDY GUERRERO AND I'VE JUST DISCOVERED THAT HE'S DEAD! BUUUUUU-HUUUU!"

" OO … Baka, this is Soul Society! If he was a good guy he's probably around here, somewhere!"

"! HEY! YOU'RE RIGHT! I'M OFF!"

"WAIT A MINUTE, DAMMIT! I'M HERE TO TELL YOU SOMETHING!"

"Eh? Ah, right. What's up? Hurry, I have to meet Eddie-sama."

'I'll kill him…' "It's about Rukia."

"Rukia-chan? What happened?"

"… She disappeared."

"! What? When!"

"A month ago. The day after your departure. Sorry I'm telling you only now, but the thing has been made official only now. No one on the Seiretei can more feel her Shinigami powers."

"… Has she been…"

"No. It's impossible. She was fighting a Hollow of D Class, when the thing happened. But suddenly, her Reiatsu disappeared, and another one appeared instead. And soon after the Hollow disappeared. The strange thing is that we can't track down this new Shinigami Reiatsu. It disappears continuously."

"… Do they keep on searching?"

"Of course. Rukia is a member of the noble Kuchiki family, after all. It's obvious."

"… Thanks for the advice. I think… I'll go out later."

"… See ya."

Renji left, leaving a shocked Naruto alone in his room. It was impossible that Rukia had been defeated by a so weak Hollow. So, what happened? In the meanwhile Gin exited his hiding place, from under the bed.

"Is this Rukia… A friend of yours?"

"Yes, Gin."

"… Hey, can I watch Wrestlemania, while you're away?"

"Go ahead. I'm going to take a walk."

"Ok! I want to learn the Ankle lock, this time…"

Naruto walked out and locked the door behind him. He didn't fell like meeting Eddie-sama, so he decided on taking a walk. While he was in his thoughts, he heard some ruckus coming from the main garden.

"Damn you! We told ya to clean our rooms too!"

"B-But it wasn't on my chores list…"

"?"

Naruto turned around. He saw two men from his same division bullying a boy from the Fourth division, it seemed. He had black hair and ice coloured eyes. Naruto, remembering of his time back in Konoha, thought that bullying someone isn't a very cute thing to do. So, he approached them.

"Hey. What's up?"

"? And who are you?"

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Your division. What are you bullying this guy for?"

"… He's only a guy from the 4th Division!"

"… Well, then I'll have to tell Yachiru-chan."

"What? And what makes you think that the Vi…"

"SHHHH! YOU IDIOT!"

The other one grabbed his friend's arm and dragged him away. Then Naruto turned to the boy who was still on the ground and offered him his right hand to get back on his feet.

'Having a Vice-Captain with a crush on you is a good thing, I suppose…' "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes… Thanks for your help."

"No problem. I hate bullies."

Naruto helped the boy to get up. He dusted his clothes off, and then looked at his saviour.

"By the way, I'm Yamada Hanatarou, 7th Seat of the 4th Division and squad leader of the 14th squad of the top class paramedic team."

"Wow! Then you're my superior! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, a simple rookie."

'… It's the first time that a guy from the 11th Division treats me like this.' "Hey, there's no need to be so formal."

"Ok… So, how old are you?"

"16."

"You're my age, then. Hey, why didn't you react? Where's your Zanpakuto?"

"I… I don't carry it around so much… I'm specialized in Healing… But it would have been useless. I'm so weak…"

"? Useless? Hey, but… Do you train?"

"Another useless thing, for me…"

"…"

"… ?"

Naruto was now observing the boy with a strange look on his face.

"Hey. Have you finished your chores?"

"? Yes. Why do you… Hey!"

Naruto had lifted Hanatarou and had placed him on his shoulder, carrying him like a sack of potatoes.

"What the hell!"

"We're going to have a drink discussing abouthow is important to carry your Zanpakuto around, training and reacting to bullies."

"Drink!"

"Yep. I heard of a really good bar in the Gigonkai…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ahahahah! Ahah… Ah… Hey, Naruto… Hic! I have to fell you somefhing…"

"What? Hic!"

"This is the virst time I get drunk in my life…"

"… Me too…"

"…"

"…"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

"THESE ARE THE HOT SPRINGS! STAY IN HERE TILL YOU GET BACK SOBER!"

Naruto and Hanatarou got drunk, so a man from the Gikongai called for a Shinigami of the 7th Division, who took them to the hot springs, kicked them in and closed the door. Naruto and Hanatarou were on the ground, ass in the air.

"I think… We should take a bath…"

"Yef…"

The two boys slowly took off their clothes and then splashed into the water. They both got back to the surface, almost sober. Naruto shook his head, sending water flying around him. Hanatarou simply rubbed his temples.

"Man… What an headache…"

"Owww… I hope that voices don't reach the 4th Division…"

"What voices? It would be aaaaaall true. We got drunk, we caused quite a ruckus and we tried to flirt with girls…"

"Yeah…"

"The good thing was that they seemed to agree with it… Till you vomited in front of them…"

"Don't remember me…"

"Eheheh… But it was funny, nh?"

"… Yes. It was funny."

"By the way, are these hot springs divided?"

"Yes. The woman side is behind that wall…"

"…"

"… Naruto, no."

"Only a little peek…"

"STOP!"

"Uhuhuh… Too… … °0° … La… Te…"

"Don't tell me what are you seeing. I don't want to know…"

"You're… Missing… Something…"

Yes, he was missing something. In the hot spring was a single woman, with not much cleavage in sight, because of the water… But what Naruto was seeing was enough. The girl had beautiful violet hair that reached the middle of his back, and piercing black eyes. The girl was now brushing her hair, and Naruto stared at her for five minutes, which seemed an eternity, to him. Then, the girl stood up and Naruto quickly turned away, blushing.

'Kami-sama… Who was she? I've never seen a girl so beautiful, in the Seiretei… But she must be a Shinigami.'

"Hey, Naruto. You're tomato red."

"Yes, I am. I saw maybe a goddess…"

"Was she so pretty?"

"… Yeah."

"Ok… It's late, and it's better for me to go back to the 4th Division headquarters. I hope that Unohana-sama doesn't hear anything about this…"

"Ok… See you soon. And remember to train!"

"Ok, ok… And you, try to improve your medic skills."

"Ok, ok…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hanatarou was back at the 4th Division headquarters, and he was silently sneaking in, passing trough the garden, tiptoeing.

"Where are you going, Hanatarou-chan?"

"! U-U-U-Unohana-sama!"

Hanatarou turned around and he saw the 4th Division Captain, Unohana Retsu. The female Shinigami was smiling, but Hanatarou knew that he was in trouble.

"So? Why so late?"

"Ehm… I… I went out with a friend of mine… He… He practically dragged me in a bar… Oooow…"

Hanatarou placed a hand on his temples, massaging them. Retsu began to observe him slowly.

"Uhm… Head-ache… Red eyes… And there's an almost gone smell of sake…"

"!" 'Oh Kami-sama! She has already guessed it!'

"I must guess that the two Shinigami who got drunk in the Gikongai were you and this friend of yours?"

"Y-Yes, Unohana-sama!" Said Hanatarou lowering his entire self on the floor, on his knees and hands. "I'm terribly sorry! It was the first time I drank and…"

"Who is he?"

"Uh?"

"Who is this friend of yours?"

"Ehm… No one of our division. He's from the 11th Division. His name is Uzumaki Naruto."

"Ah, yes. I remember him. The new rookie of Kenpachi-san."

"Y-Yes…"

"Uhmmm… For this time only you can go but don't do anything like this ever again. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, Unohana-sama."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"But don't do anything like this ever again without inviting us. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Very well… Now, go to sleep. Tomorrow I want to tell you about something."

"Yes!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto slept well, even if Gin was still watching a lot of WWE DVDs. After breakfast, he went to Captain Kenpachi's room. The Captain was waiting for him with Yachiru, a smirk on his face.

"So… What's up, Captain?"

"Well… Do you know about the Shinigami tournament?"

"Of course. It's like a sort of exhibition. One Shinigami for each division must enter it, and they can be in the division only from 2 human years."

"Well… Even if you're Shinigami only from a month and an half…"

"Ken-chan decided to candidate Naruto-chan!"

"! What!"

"Yes. You will enter the competion. From what I heard, there will be only eight competitors, since the 1st, the 2nd, the 4th, the 12th and the 13th Division will not enter the competition, this year."

"… But still…"

"You have the biggest amount of Reiatsu I have ever seen in a rookie. The proof is your Zanpakuto. But if you don't want to enter, then we will have a week-long training only me and you…"

"I ACCEPT THE OFFER WITH THE GREATEST POSSIBLE PLEASURE!" 'ANYTHING BUT NOT THAT!'

"Very well. The tournament will start in a week. You should prepare yourself."

"… Sigh. Understood."

Naruto walked out, leaving a smirking Kenpachi and a concerned Yachiru.

"Ken-chan… I'm worried about Naruto."

"What for?"

"Even if he's strong, he will not have a chance versus the 12th and the 8th Division men. They both know Shikai."

"… Don't worry. Nobody dies in these tournaments. And after all, Shikai isn't a big thing. I'm captain and I don't even know the name of my Zanpakuto. Fighting along-side with your sword… Ah. Bullshit."

"… I hope so…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Now, even the Shinigami tournament… Man, I'm a really busy man…"

"Hey! Watch out!"

Naruto and Hanatarou were sparring in the middle of the dojo of the 4th Division. Naruto was about to cut his own right index finger because he was distracted.

"Ooops…"

"You're here to help me to train on my sword skills, not on my healing ones."

"Sorry… I was quite distracted. So, your Division never enters the tournament?"

"Nope. We are…"

"Too weak… I already know this nonsense."

"Nonsense?"

"When I was alive I was so weak that I failed three times the final exam at the academy. But in the end I became one of the strongest genins of my village."

"If you were so strong, why have you died?"

"… I was reckless. I lowered my guard because… I was fighting with my best friend."

"! Your best friend… And he killed you?"

"… Yes."

"… Is not an habit for Ninjas, right?"

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

"Well… You're my only friend, so, at the same time, you're my best friend. I was wondering if I have to be worried."

"? … Ahahah! Don't worry! But you could get killed if you slack off during training!"

"Hey! Don't rush at that speed!"

While the two guys were sparring, Naruto smirking and Hanatarou panicking, a smiling 4th Division captain was observing them from behind a pillar.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A big crew of Shinigami was at the tournament, all the Captains and Vice-Captains included, ready to see the fights. The eight contenders where standing in the arena in the middle of a stadium like-structure. With them was the Vice-captain of the 8th Division, Ise Nasao.

'She's cute… But she's not the hot springs girl.'

"Well, we'll start the fights. The first two contenders are Uzumaki Naruto from the 11th Division and Aseru Keigo from the 7th Division."

'Wow… It's already my turn… This remembers me of the Chunin Selection Exam. Let's hope that the Seiretei doesn't end like Konoha, though…'

Naruto placed his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakuto, looking at the guy in front of him. He was a member of the 7th Division, with short black hair and black eyes. He was holding a normal Zanpakuto.

'… His Reiatsu amount is lower than mine…'

" The rules are simply. Whoever falls off the arena, gets unconscious or surrenders lose. Begin!"

Naruto's opponent moved towards him, trying a frontal assault. Naruto simply backed off of one step and parried the attack placing his Zanpakuto in front of him. The two swords clashed.

'… His swordsmanship is at an equal point, though… But I still can win.'

"Ahhh!"

"!"

The 7th Division's Shinigami backed off and then newly rushed at Naruto, trying slashing him a few times but Naruto quickly parried it. Then, once blocked the sword of his opponent, he pushed his one forward, unbalancing him. And then he moved his Zanpakuto horizontally. His opponent backed off in time, so Naruto injured him only barely.

"… Not fast enough…"

"Do you believe so?"

"!"

Suddenly the gash on the chest of the Shinigami of the 7th Division become more large and deep, and a lot of blood came out of it. Soon the Shinigami fell to the floor, 'dead'. But a Shinigami doesn't really die so easily. Instead, he got asleep.

"I was a ninja, so enveloping my Zanpakuto in chakra to increase its attack range is piece of cake. And because I made a thin blade, it was practically invisible to your eyes."

Naruto replaced his sword in its sheath, and walked out of the ring. Immediately Nasao said…

"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto."

Since cheering was not a good thing to do, among the Gotei 13, the crew started to murmur instead. Naruto walked out of the stadium, and found Yachiru hanging upside down from the ceiling.

"Nicely done, Naruto-chan!"

"It seems that it will be easier than I thought… How annoying…"

"… Don't think too high of yourself, Naruto-chan. You're fortunate that the two strongest opponents are fighting against each other on the first turn."

"Are they… Stronger than me?"

"… I can't tell you."

"Then, I have to train."

"In a week you'll never be able to beat any of them. For once you should observe the fight."

"Uff… It's boring…"

And Naruto started to walk away.

"Naruto-chan!"

"Yes, yes… See ya later, Vice-Captain…"

"… AHHHH! I HATE YOU!"

In the meanwhile, the two Shinigami from the 12th and 8th Division mentioned by Yachiru were ready to fight.

"Begin!"

"Scream, Bakemono!"

"Hug him, Oohebi!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto was walking from about fifteen minutes, heading for the 11th Division's headquarters, when he suddenly stopped, feeling two different Reiatsu from the stadium… Each one of them much, much bigger than him.

"… What the…" 'They're not bigger than Captain's one… But they're much bigger than mine. If this is the Reiatsu of those two that Yachiru mentioned… Then, I'm in big troubles.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the meanwhile, on the earth… A orange haired Shinigami was fighting a Hollow named Grand Fisher, while a female Shinigami, without powers at the moment, was watching.

'… Ichigo…'

"Aaaaah!"

_Continue…_

_In the next chapter…_

Naruto is in troubles. In the final match of the tournament, he must confront an opponent able to use the Shikai of his Zanpakuto. Will he be able to achieve the Shikai in time? Stay tuned!

**Translations of the names of the Zanpakutos ( I got a Dictionary of Japanese! Yay! )**

**Bakemono:** Phantom

**Oohebi: **Boa ( The snake )


	5. The old, good nindo

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

Heyheyhey! Finally… He's here! Meet the almighty, incredible, powerful… Hey, wait a minute. I can't already tell you the name of Naruto's soul cutter, or I'll spoiler my story. Well… 'He' makes his appearance in this chapter, though! So, read and enjoy!

P.S.: Eventual reviews will be answered right now.

**Tokyo no Ecchi:** Yes… He probably can't. So… … … Eheheh… Can't tell you.

**wolvesm0on: **That's Bakamono for you, baby. XD

"_Naruto-chan!"_

"_Yes, yes… See ya later, Vice-Captain…"_

"… _AHHHH! I HATE YOU!"_

"_Begin!"_

"_Scream, Bakemono!"_

"_Hug him, Oohebi!"_

"… _What the…" 'They're not bigger than Captain's one… But they're much bigger than mine. If this is the Reiatsu of those two that Yachiru mentioned… Then, I'm in big troubles.'_

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter5: The old, good, nindo**

Naruto hoped to see the abilities of his next opponent, since he had passed the second turn too, the guy from the 12th Division in his semi-final match, but the opponent surrendered without even drawing his sword. Naruto sighed. What a big man, he was… Now Yachiru was mad at him and he was about to fight a strong opponent without knowing anything of him.

'Sigh… I need to apologize… First, because she's my Vice-captain. Second, because Captain Zaraki will surely slit my throat. Third, I need tips.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yachiru was in her room, strangling a Naruto like doll, with enraged eyes.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid Naruto-chan!'

Suddenly she heard knocking at the door. Yachiru said 'Come forward', but when a spiky blonde head popped into the room, she immediately turned her head, her arms crossed.

"Ehm… Are you still mad at me?"

"Hmph."

"Well… Sorry. I acted quite arrogant, and… Now, I'm in a mess."

"… Your problems."

"Come on… Listen, if you forgive me and you help me, I'll do anything you want for one day." 'This is quite a dangerous thing to say… But I have no choice!'

"…"

Yachiru remained silent for a few seconds, but suddenly she said…

"… Anything?"

"… Anything."

Suddenly Yachiru turned around grinning. Naruto felt a cold shiver trough his spine.

"Then, you'll take me out!"

"WHAT?"

"On the earth! We'll go out together! Three days after the end of the tournament! And if you get injured, immediately after your recovering! Ok?"

"… Ok…"

"Yaaahi! I have a date with Naruto-chan!"

And Yachiru jumped at Naruto, practically strangling him in an embrace. Naruto, while gasping for air, managed to say…

"Hey… I need help…"

"Ah! Yes! So, what do you want?"

"Well… About my next opponent."

"… I see. You want to know why he's so strong, right?"

"Right."

"… Sorry, but I can't tell you the entire thing. I can give you tips, though."

"… Ok."

"To gain more power, you must know better your Zanpakuto."

"? I must… Do you mean that I need to improve my swordsmanship?"

"Wrong!"

"Ahi!" 'Where the hell that Harisen has come out?'

"I mean exactly what I said. You need to know your Zanpakuto better, and you need to show her what you're able to do."

"What am I… Able to do?"

"… I can give you this last tip. Zanpakutos are not only weapons to kill Hollows. Remember this. Ah! And please don't tell Ken-chan that I said it! Now, goodbye!"

"Hey! Wait a minute!"

And then Yachiru disappeared using Shunpo, leaving a sighing and confused Naruto.

'Knowing better the sword? Showing her what am I able to do? … She was talking like… The Zanpakuto was a person apart. A living being…' "…"

Naruto unsheathed his Zanpakuto and placed it on the floor in front of him. He stared at it for minutes, then…

"Ehm… Can you hear me?"

No response.

"… What a baka I am… Well, it's late. I'll better catch a bit of sleep."

So Naruto sheathed his sword and walked away to his room. When he opened it, he found Gin trying a Frog Splash from the bed on a straw doll.

"Kami-sama… Wrestling surely got to your head, hn?"

"And now… FU!"

"Sigh… I'm going to sleep."

Naruto undressed himself, and was about to enter the bed, but suddenly a fool idea came to the surface.

'Damn…'

Gin, after a few minutes, looked at Naruto, and with his Eddiesh eyes he saw something very unusual.

"… Naruto… Why are you sleeping with your Zanpakuto?"

"Shut the hell up." 'Now, let's sleep.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto quickly got asleep. And he made a very strange dream. When he woke up, he was dressed in his Shinigami uniform, and he was seated on the top of a mountain. He looked around. Black clouds were in the sky, and it seemed that a storm was about to start. A thunder echoed in the air, while Naruto stood up on his feet.

"Man… Where the hell am I?"

"Everywhere and nowhere."

"!"

Naruto turned around. Behind him was a tall man dressed in an emerald green samurai armour. The man had very long spiky blonde hair and cerulean eyes. Under the samurai armour, he had a ninja uniform on. Naruto immediately recognized him.

"The… Yondaime?"

"Yondaime? What are you talking about? It's me, #?£$."

"?" 'How come I couldn't hear the last word?'

"… How disappointing… You still can't hear it…"

"? It?"

"I hope you don't meet anyone stronger than you with a killing intent, while you're still like this. By the way, didn't you have a match, today?"

"! Hey! How do you…"

"Then, it's time for you to wake up."

A lightning fell from the sky, and hit Naruto.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

Naruto woke up in his room, sweating and panting. He looked at the clock. 07:30 AM. He had the match at 10:00 AM.

"… I have time to take a shower, then…" 'But what the hell was that dream? It felt so real… The thunder that hit me… And that man, who was him? Why did he look so much like the Yondaime? … A problem after another.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto was newly in the stadium. In front of him, his opponent. The guy from the 12th Division. He had very short brown hair and black eyes. The Vice-Captain Ise Nasao was still the referee.

"This is the final battle of this tournament. I want a fair battle. The rules are the same of the previous battles. So… Kazuo Inoraki VS Naruto Uzumaki. Begin!"

The two opponents immediately unsheathed their Zanpakutos. Kazuo's one was normal, smaller than Naruto's one. Kazuo inarched an eyebrow in surprise.

"Is that… The released form of your Zanpakuto?"

"? Released form?"

"… As I thought. A weakling like you…"

"!"

Suddenly, Kazuo began to emit Reiatsu from his body.

'It's the same Reiatsu of that time… But what is he going to do?'

"Who doesn't even know the name of his Zanpakuto is piece of cake for me! Sakebe, Bakemono!"

"!"

Suddenly Kazuo's Zanpakuto got enveloped in what seemed like mist, and when the mist cleared… His Zanpakuto had changed shape. The hand protection was still as before, but the hilt was now in the shape of a screaming face ( Note: Like the mask of the assassin of Scream ). The blade, coming out from the mouth, was in a triangular shape, enlarging from the hilt till to the point of the blade, which had two cutting sides.

"… What the hell…"

"This is my Shikai. The name's Bakemono."

"… You gave a name to your Zanpakuto?"

"… Hmph. Stupid! All the Zanpakutos have their own name! The trick is to discover it!"

"!"

"And when you manage to do it and to release their Shikai, you achieve new frightening powers!"

"!"

Kazuo swung his sword diagonally in the air, and suddenly a loud screech could be heard in the whole stadium. The most of the people covered their ears, and Naruto too fell on one of his knees, covering one of his ears with the left hand and holding the Zanpakuto with the right one.

"This is the special ability of my Bakemono. He emits sound waves at high frequency. It's painful, right?"

"… You…!"

Naruto stood up, but immediately fell on his butt, like not able to remember how to walk properly.

"… What the…"

"Causing pain isn't the only purpose of Bakemono. The ear is the organ of balance. If a loud sound hits your ears, you aren't able to walk properly for a while. But it isn't over yet…"

"!"

Suddenly, Naruto's sight became blurry, and all the surroundings began to rotate and deform. And he began to feel nauseos.

"… I can't…"

"You can't see properly, right."

"!"

"But you can still feel pain."

Naruto felt the Bakemono slashing trough his shoulders and fore-arms, and two times on his chesth. He began to lose blood and to fell to the ground.

'He's too… Strong…'

'Nope. It's you who is too weak.'

'! It's… It's you again… I recognize your voice.'

'Now, after being beaten like this, do you have a clue on who am I?'

'… Are you… My Zanpakuto?'

'Bingo. But you still can't hear my voice…'

'… Why?'

'Because your ears are covered with fear.'

'!'

In the meanwhile, Naruto had fell to the ground. The audience started to murmur, and Renji and Yachiru in particular were worried about him. Yamada too, who was watching the match from the infirmary.

'Tsk… What a baka…'

'Naruto-chan…'

'Naruto… You overdid yourself…'

"Hey, referee! I won!"

"Nope. He's not unconscious, but he doesn't seem able to stood newly up. So, I'll count till ten. 1."

'… What do you mean?'

'You were afraid of fighting this man because you only felt his Reiatsu.'

"3."

'You weren't like this when you were alive…'

"4."

'… Yes… I was afraid…'

"5."

'But now I have tasted his sword, and his technique is no more a mystery to me.'

"6."

'That's what I wanted to hear. Now, what about your old good nindo? Say it one more time. I really like it.'

"8… Uh?"

"I'll say things… Only once…"

"!"

Naruto, slowly, was trying to stand on his feet, with his Zanpakuto still in his hand.

"And I never… Go back on my words…"

"How can you…"

"This is my nindo."

Naruto was back on his feet, panting heavily, still bleeding but on his feet. Nasao was amused as the most part of the crew, but quickly recomposed herself, adjusted her glasses with one finger and said…

"It seems like you're able to continue. The match continues!"

"…"

"… You're stubborn. Very well. I need to do you only a little more of damage…"

"…"

'Very well. Now, you're able to hear my name… And to wield me in my released form. Repeat the words that I say holding me with both hands in front of you.'

Naruto did as told, placing his Zanpakuto in front of him, still panting. Each move caused him pain.

"You should probably surrender, or you'll be out for I don't know how much."

"… Kaminari ga nare…"

"?"

"Horaiken!"

"!"

Suddenly Naruto emitted an enormous amount of Reiatsu, moving the air around him with such power to blind for a moment most of the audience ( Note: When I say most of the audience I mean all except Captains, Vice-Captains and the seated officers. ). When the smoke cleared away, Naruto was holding his Shikai. While the basic form was as long as him, the Shikai he was holding was only 1,50mt long. The hilt and the hand protection were completely yellow, and the hilt was like a gear, but instead of teeth, he had clock-wise curved spikes. The blade… The internal part was azure sky, with the yellow carving of a little lightning in the middle. The outer part was completely white, and with three curved spikes on the point of the sword, pointing to the hilt.

"Is that… Your… Shikai?"

"I suppose… Ah!"

"!"

Naruto rushed at Kazuo with incredible speed, and slashed vertically in front of him. Kazuo dodged to the left, and then noticed that the point of the floor hit by Naruto… Was melted and smoking.

"! Your… Your Zanpakuto…"

"Don't ask me anything. Right now, I'm only doing what he is telling me."

Naruto pointed his sword at Kazuo, holding it with his right hand. Kazuo immediately backed off. Naruto still pointed his sword at him, immobile. Then, he placed his left hand of the hilt of the sword.

"Maware."

"?"

Naruto moved his hand, and suddenly the hilt of the sword began to rotate. And the blade vanished in the air.

"Inabikaru no arasi."

And suddenly… The rotating hilt emitted enormous thunders, who covered a cone-like area in front of Naruto. Kazuo got hit by two of them, and the electricity began to do its work. When the thunder storm ended, the hilt stopped his rotation and the blade reappeared. Kazuo was on the ground, shaking and smoking. Still alive, though. All the audience was surprised. And I mean all the audience. The most surprised was the old Yama. He was the oldest Shinigami in the Seireitei, but…

"… Jushiro, Kyouraku."

"Yes, Yama-sama?"

"Old Yama?"

"Have you… Have you ever seen a Thunder based Zanpakuto?"

"… Never."

"Not once in my life."

"… Neither I."

But the most interested was probably the Captain of the 12th Division, Kurotsuchi Mayuri. At his side, her daughter Kurotsuchi Nemu, was still inexpressive as ever.

"I knew it… I knew it that he was worth studying him! I should have started studying him 300 years ago… But I didn't have the permission, and neither now I have it. Damn it… And I can't kill him making it look like an incident, because I need to study him alive, otherwise I will not be able to study his powers… I need to capture him alive… But how?"

"…"

Nasao checked Kazuo's condition. He was unconscious. She cleared her throat and said…

"Winner and champion of this year: Uzumaki Naruto from the 11th Division!"

And then… A clap could be heard in the stadium. It was Yamamoto-sama. Then another one. And another, another, another… Soon all the stadium was clapping hands for Naruto. Naruto looked around, while his Zanpakuto turned back to his original form. Then… Naruto fell unconscious on the ground. In that very moment, a team of medics appeared, Hanatarou leading.

'You overdid it… But you won.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto was newly on the mountain, with Horaiken by his side.

"Nice battle."

"Well… It was you who told me how to use your powers."

"It was the first time for you, so it couldn't be helped. Well, now I'll describe better my powers. I'm Horaiked. The curved spikes of the swords emit an enormous heat, around 500 C°, because of the heat of the thunders contained in it. And the blade is at the same time a weapon and a plug. If you swirl the hilt, it disappears and the thunders are able to exit it for a few seconds, the time the hilt keeps on rotating."

"Understood… But how come you look like the Yondaime?"

"Well… A Zanpakuto is the finest proof of a Shinigami power. And the man who looked more powerful to your eyes, back in the living world, was the Yondaime. So…"

"Understood… How much will I be unconscious?"

"At least two days."

"Well… We'll have time to talk, then."

"?"

"Yachiru-chan told me that to get stronger I need to know better my sword. So… Tell me something about you."

"… Hmph. Good thinking. Well… Where should I start? I highly dislike red pepper, and…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto, after two days, finally woke up. He didn't even have the time to look around that someone hugged him from behind.

"Yaaa! Naruto-chan is finally awake!"

"Yachiru-chan… Captain Zaraki…"

"Well done, Naruto."

Zaraki Kenpachi was in front of Naruto, smirking. But Naruto still felt a shiver going down his spine.

"I see that you have achieved Shikai."

"Yes…"

"Well, you're going to try it on me, this afternoon."

"WHAT?"

"No buts. Ah, and we took another decision."

"?"

"You're now the 4th Seat of the 11th Division."

"! 4th SEAT?"

"Congratulations, Naruto-chan!"

"But… So soon? And… Now that I think about it, I've never seen the 4th Seat of our Division."

"That's because we don't have it."

"… Eh?"

"To tell the truth, our 4th Seat should be Yumichika, but he said… That he doesn't like number 4. So that moron took the 5th Seat, instead… Now, that place is yours. Congratulations."

"… Thanks."

"Naruto-chan, remember that you promised me a date!"

"Yes, I remember…"

"… What?"

"OOOOPS!"

"… What did you promise to Yachiru?"

That time Naruto became aware of the fatherly instinct of his Captain. His Reiatsu emitted killing intent.

"… Don't try anything funny, ok?"

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes…"

"Ken-chan, don't be so strict with him… It's only a date…"

"…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the meanwhile, on the earth…

"Ishida Uryuu… Quincy. I… Hate Shinigami."

"… What?"

"Don't you get it, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"…"

"I… Hate you."

_Continue…_

_In the next chapter…_

Naruto and Yachiru go out for a date… In the city of Ichigo and co! Naruto went there because he wanted to see again Tatsuki, but the two will get caught into the mess of Ishida's Hollow Bait! So, stay tuned!

**Japanese-English translation**

**Sakebe:** Scream

**Kaminari ga nare:** Thunder ( Verb )

**Horaiken:** Sword of Lightning

**Maware:** Swirl

**Inabikaru no arasi:** Storm of thunders


	6. A strange date

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

Ok! The almighty Horaiken has make his appearance! And now… To the earth! Let's see how this 'date' goes! But first, the reviews!

**The Metal One: **Nope. It would ruin the plot. He will fight some Hollows and he will see Tatsuki again, but nothing more.

**mrasdfghj: **I know it. The computer doesn't and he corrects it as Nasao. Thanks for making me notice.

**yl3342:** Naruto and Ichigo will meet only during the 'Rukia's execution' part… As Shinigami, though. XD

**Mealstorm: **As I have already said, Reiatsu is the death form of chakra, and not all the dead souls have it. So, Naruto will not be more able to use his Ninja Techniques, and neither will be… OOOOOPS! XD

**hachinoko: **The technique used by the Yondaime used the power of a Shinigami to seal the fox inside Naruto. The technique used on Gaara possessed him, and it didn't involve a Shinigami.

**gold-case: **Of course I'm going to give him a Ban-Kai! And I already have some ideas… Uhuhuh…

**wolvesm0on: **For the pairing I'm undecided… And don't forget about the mysterious girl of the hot springs! Uh? Who is she? COME ON! THERE AREN'T SO MANY GIRLS WITH VIOLET HAIR, IN BLEACH! And for Naruto's friends, as I've already said in the 2nd chapter, they can't be in the Soul Society because they're from another world, and each world has its own hell and nirvana. Renji could take Naruto away because there was Reiatsu in his soul. So, Naruto will never see his old friends again… Will he?

"… _What?"_

"_OOOOPS!"_

"… _Don't try anything funny, ok?"_

"_Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes…"_

"_Ken-chan, don't be so strict with him… It's only a date…"_

"…"

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter6: A strange date**

"I'm so excited! What about you, Naruto-chan?"

"Oh, yes…"

Naruto and Yachiru were on the earth, in the city of Tatsuki. Naruto took the occasion to get a chance of seeing her again. They were walking in the streets. Naruto was dressed with a large pair of jeans, a red and blue short-sleeveled shirt and a pair of sneakers. On his wrist, a black G-Shock. Yachiru was dressing a pink top and a pair of blue trousers, and gymnastic shoes. He had a flower hairpin too, on the right side of her hair. She was practically hanging from Naruto's right arm. After fifteen minutes of arguing about 'giving piggyback to girls without a good reason is an unusual thing to see', she chose his arm, instead.

"Where are you going to take me?"

"Uhm…" 'I never had a date with a girl, when I was alive… Well, apart the sorta one with Sakura that evening when Sasuke ran away… And here in this world, things are different… Well, if I remember right…' "What about a movie?"

"A movie? Why not!"

"Ok… The Cinema is near here."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Yawn… So boring…"

"Well, we should yell as well, I think… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Naruto and Yachiru decided for an horror movie, but it wasn't frightening at all, for people who deal with ghosts every day. But they yelled as well, to not make the other notice about their strangeness. They exited the Cinema very bored.

"Well, at least those pop-corn were very tasty!"

"Uhm… And now?"

"Well… It's about 10:30 PM. What about… I heard of a place where the people go dancing!"

"Ah. You're talking about a Disco."

"Exactly! Should we go? I've appositely ordered two Gigai able to dance every dance existing on the world!"

"What? They can make Gigai able of such things?"

"Yep! Want to try?"

"… My, my, my… I can't say no when you make that face…"

"Is it because I'm cute?"

"… Maybe."

"Ahhh! Don't tease me, Naruto-chan!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two Shinigami entered the Disco… And they found a new world waiting for them. People dancing, people drinking, people vomiting in angles… Lights, music and smoke.

"… Wow…"

"It's so strange, in here…"

"Uhm… Let's take a look around…"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

A red haired girl with glasses flew right in front of Naruto and Yachiru, and ended rolling on the floor, blood coming out of her mouth. She slowly got on one of her knee, and then she said.

"Hmph… For my beloved Orihime, this and more… OUFF!"

A glass hit her straight in the face. Naruto felt like a De-ja-vu… And he heard a familiar voice.

"HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM ORIHIME!"

"It can't be…"

Naruto turned around. He saw a girl with black eyes and short spiky black hair, wearing a pair of military green trousers, a pair of black boots and a black t-shirt, yelling at the red haired girl. Naruto made eye-contact with her. The girl blinked two times, in disbelief. Then she placed her hands on her sides and she looked at him in a strange way, half between amused and ironic.

"You… You…"

"Hi… Tatsuki…"

Tatsuki walked to him and locked his neck between her arms, in pure Wrestling style.

"You damn baka! You forgot to give me your telephone number!"

"Ahiahiahi! You too!"

"I'm a girl! We give numbers only if asked!"

"I have my doubts…"

"WHAT?"

"MY NEEEEEECK!"

"Tatsuki-chan… Who is this guy?"

"Uh?"

Naruto turned around. He saw a bunch of guys. A beautiful girl with long orange hair, wearing a light violet skirt, a pink t-shirt and a pair of pink shoes. An enormous tanned guy with a pair of beige trousers full of pockets and a black t-shirt without sleeves. And finally… A orange haired boy. His hair… Were spiky as Naruto's hair. It was the first time Naruto saw someone with his same kind of hair-cut. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a chain coming out of the pocket and connecting with the belt, a pair of Nike Shocks and a blue t-shirt with a white Hebraic star in the middle.

"Ah, guys! This is Naruto Uzumaki."

"Ahhhh… The guy that you met in Rome."

"Exactly! Naruto, from the left: Orihime, Sado, and Ichigo."

"Ichigo? Cute name…"

"SHUTUP! IT'S ICHI FOR 'FIRST PRIZE' AND GO FOR 'GUARDIAN ANGEL'! IT AIN'T CUTE!"

"Every time one reads his name as strawberry, he goes mad…"

"Understood… Hey. About the second guy… Nado…"

"… It's Sado."

"Yes. It's terribly difficult to say! What about if I call you Chad?"

"OO"

"OO"

"OO"

"OO"

"… Hey, what's up?"

"… Ichigo came up with the same idea the first time he met Sado."

"Really?"

"… Yes."

"…"

"…"

"NARUTO-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Yachiru had just screamed, making the group of friends jump. She had her face puffy, enraged.

"Have you finished ignoring me?"

"Sorry, Yachiru-chan… This is Yachiru."

"Hi!"

"Nice to meet ya!"

"… Hi."

"Yo."

"Well… What are you two doing in this city?"

"Well… We had some days of vacancies, so we decided to visit you."

"And you decided to come in a disco?"

"Yep. So… What about a dance?"

"Well… What do you say, guys?"

"Hmph. Is this guy even able to dance?"

"Try me, Ichigo…"

"…"

"…"

"FREE-STYLE MATCH!"

The two boys rushed to the middle of the dance floor. And the match begun. Naruto was using break-dance, Ichigo a strange mix between Hip-Hop and… Martial arts, maybe?

"… Hey. I recognize break-dance, but what about Ichigo? His dancing style is interesting but… I've never seen it before."

'Neither my Gigai…'

"Uhm… If I remember correctly…"

_Flashback_

"_Ichigo! Today your father will teach you the almighty Kurosaki dance-style?"_

"_The almighty what?"_

_End of the flashback_

"It's a personal dancing style created by his father…"

"Ah."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ahahahah! That was incredible!"

"Yes! When you suddenly destroyed that glass with the head…"

"…"

"…"

"AHAHAHAH!"

"AHAHAHAH!"

"Are those two drunk?"

"Yes… I lost the count after the 25th Tequila Boom Boom…"

Can't you imagine who are the two drunk? Naruto and Ichigo. Tatsuki and Sado were carrying them away, while they kept on joking.

"Well… Where is your Hotel?"

'We don't have one. We were going to go back to the Sereitei…' "Ehm… Naruto knows the way, but… Like this… And I have a very bad sense of direction." 'The last thing is true.'

"Understood… Well, Naruto is going to sleep at Kurosaki's home. Yachiru. You can stay with me."

"Oh… Thanks."

"Isn't… Isn't the father of Kurosaki-kun going to be a little upset seeing Kurosaki-kun like this?"

"Naaah… He'll probably start on blabbering about 'My son has finally reached the age to hang out and get drunk with friends!' or something like that…"

"Understood…"

"… Tatsuki-san…"

"Yes, Sado?"

"What about Chizuru?"

"… Ops."

A voice raised from the direction of the now closed disco.

"SOMEONE HELP ME!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Awww…"

Naruto woke up. He blinked his eyes twice and then he looked around. He was in a sort of clinic, wearing an azure pyjama. He got on his feet and looked out of the window. The clinic was on the road, it seemed. And it was around 07:00 AM, it seemed. All was peaceful… Now not anymore.

"GOOD MORNING, IIIIIIIIIICHIGOOOOO!"

"! WHAT THE…"

Naruto quickly turned around and he saw the door opening. A cute little girl with blonde hair and cerulean eyes, with a plate full of food.

"Good morning."

"Ah… Good morning."

"This is your breakfast, Naruto-chan."

"Thanks… How do you know my name?"

"Tatsuki-chan and the others took you here with Ichigo, and told me that you got drunk. Daddy was hyper. My name's Chizuru, by the way."

"Thanks for the breakfast, Chizuru. My, you're cute…"

"…"

Chizuru blushed, while Naruto ate the first bit of his breakfast.

"Wow… And you did this all alone?"

"… Y-Yeah… I'm… Let's say I'm in charge of everything in the house… Since mom…"

"… Understood. And who was the one screaming…"

"YOU'RE STILL SLOW, SON! YOU HAVE TO TRAIN MORE!"

"SHUTUP! WHAT KIND OF FREAKING WAY IS THIS TO WAKE UP A SON JUST GETTING BACK TO SOBERTY?"

"… Don't tell me. Your father and Ichigo."

"Yes. Your clothes are in Ichigo's room."

"Ok…"

Naruto finished breakfast and then he headed upstairs, for Ichigo's room. He didn't find him in.

"Uhm… Where could my clothes be?"

Naruto then got a peek of a wardrobe. He even heard… Like someone slightly snoring from inside it?

"… It's just my imagination or…"

Naruto approached the wardrobe and then he stretched his hand towards it. He slightly opened it, but suddenly he noticed his clothes on the chair.

"Ah, here they are. So…"

Naruto got dressed, and suddenly he began to search for Yachiru's Reiatsu.

"We have to go back to the soul society. … Here she is."

Naruto quickly descended the stairs, missing for seconds the not anymore asleep girl coming out of the wardrobe.

"Yaaawn… Now I'm imagining things. I heard Naruto's voice… Tsk."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Come back soon, Naruto! My son needs more friends like you!"

"Ehm… Thanks. And say hi to him, please." 'What a strange man, Ichigo's father… And why can't I get off me this strange feeling that I met him somewhere, before? He practically forced me to stay here for lunch. I even helped him with the clinic… Bah!'

Naruto walked out of Ichigo's house, finally free. He followed Yachiru's Reiatsu and he found her in the middle of a street.

"Good… Afternoon, Yachiru."

"Naruto-chan got stuck somewhere?"

"You can say it… What a strange date…"

"Yep… But I had fun! Now, should we… !"

"!"

Naruto and Yachiru felt the same thing at the same time. Hollows. Hollows, hollows and… Guess what?

"I… Incredible… There's a lot of them…"

"How… Something should've happened to make them gather like this."

"… Too bad we didn't took the Reiphone with us. We can't call for reinforcements."

"Maybe one of us should go back to the Sereitei…"

"There's no time. We need to move, Naruto-chan. They'll eventually notice this."

"… Ok."

Naruto and Yachiru took out their Soul Candies. Well, Naruto took out Gin. Soon they were out of their Gigai.

"Hide somewhere safe. We're in a red code."

"Yes."

"Ok."

Naruto and Yachiru looked at each other while their Gigai moved away. They nodded simultaneously and then they rushed away in different directions.

'I need to focus on big Reiatsu reserves… The Hollows will probably look for them… Right, Horaiken?'

'_Yes… But look above.'_

"Uh?"

A Hollow fell from the sky, right in front of Naruto.

"Uhm… Already one…"

"_**Hmmm…"**_

"Ok… Time to get down to businesses! Kaminari ga nare, Horaiken!"

A thunder-like sound echoed in the air, followed by an enormous scream. Hollows 0, Naruto 1.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"!"

Rukia suddenly stopped on her steps, feeling two big Reiatsu suddenly appearing.

"What the… They're very big. Too bad that I can't fell who the owners are… I hate this condition."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I figured that using all of us at once would be too much… For now, we should return as well."

Orihime had fought her battle. Exhausted, she fell to the ground. In the meanwhile, a sandal-hat guy appeared and took her away, leaving the others unconscious on the ground but safe. And soon, Tatsuki woke up.

"O… Orihime… ! Orihime! Where are you?"

Tatsuki looked around, but she couldn't find Orihime anywhere.

"Damn, Orihime… But she can't be dead. That thing… She said that she wanted her soul, not her body… So she ran away or she got carried away by someone… And how come at first I could see only a blur and then suddenly I could see it clearly?" ( Note: This is not an error. Keep on reading. )

Tatsuki got back on his feet and then, she entered the school to phone to the hospital. While talking, she heard another scream. She looked out… She saw another one of those violet and white things in the middle of the school, walking towards the unconscious people.

"Oh, no! I… No… Wait a minute, Tatsuki… What could you possibly do?"

The Hollow continued his walk of death.

'I'm… I'm afraid… I nearly died, before… And now… Now there's a new one…'

"_**Hmmm… Humans… Tasty. And I can feel another big Reiatsu coming out of the school…"**_

"!" 'He… He found me…'

"_**What a dilemma… Who should I eat first?"**_

'Help… Help me… Someone… Orihime… Ichigo… Naruto… … Grandma… What will happen to me?'

_Flashback_

"_Grandma, what are you reading?"_

"_Oh, it's a book on the four celestial beasts."_

"_Celestial beasts?"_

"_Each cardinal point has his protector, a celestial beast. The azure dragon from the east, the white tiger from the west, the emerald tortoise from the north and the red phoenix from the south."_

"_Ohhh…"_

"_Those spirits protect the skies and the humans, and they have a liking for humans who like one of them among the other three. Which one do you prefer?"_

"… _I like them all!"_

"_?"_

"_This way I will have four protectors, right?"_

"… _Yes, Tatsuki-chan. Maybe…"_

_End of the flashback_

'… Why has that event come back to my mind? … And what's this feeling?'

Without even knowing, Tatsuki suddenly got surrounded by a strange glowing energy, of four different colours…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"_**Hmmm… Ok. I'll eat first the unconscious humans. It will be easier… Uh?"**_

The Hollow raised his head. Something, or better someone had just jumped out of a window of the eighth floor, and surprisingly… The person landed on one of his knees, perfectly safe. Then… She got back on her feet. Tatsuki was now wearing two forearms protector and two forelegs protector. The left forearm protector was emerald green, and it had the carving of a tortoise on it. The right forearm protector was sky azure and it had the carving of a dragon on it. The left foreleg protector was pearl white and it had the carving of a dragon on it. Lastly, the right foreleg protector was ruby red and it had the carving of a phoenix on it.

"… _**What the hell…"**_

"Don't ask me, because I don't know… But of one thing I'm certain… I feel full of power…"

"_**!"**_

"And I'm going to kick your ass and make you disappear from the face of earth!"

"Well said, girl!"

"!"

Tatsuki looked at her left forearm protector… The head of the tortoise had just come out of it, and it was talking.

"… AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Hey! What's up?"

"YOU… YOU… YOU CAN TALK?"

"Of course WE can."

"!"

The dragon had make his appearance too.

"Who… Who are you, guys?"

"We are the Sorairo no Kemono Si…"

The tiger.

"And we're your power."

_Continue…_

_In the next chapter…_

Let's see the brand new powers of Tatsuki! Then, Naruto goes back to the Sereitei, where he finally discovers who the mysterious violet haired girl was! And Hanatarou has a surprise for him… Stay tuned!

**Translations**

**Sorairo no Kemono Si: **Four Celestial Beasts


	7. A violet beauty and an unfair sentence

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

Muahahahahah! Soon the drifters saga will come in! And I have a pair of surprises already planned… You can see the first one in this very chapter! And now, let's see what Tatsuki is able to do!

Hanatarou: Pssst… The reviews.

Ah, right. Enjoy!

P.S.: As one of you has requested, here's a pic of a drawing of Horaiken! Sorry if my drawing sucks, but… ' Url: img125 dot imageshack dot us slash img125 slash 9985 slash horaiken0ry slash jpg

**The Metal One: **Yes, this is kind of AU. An example? Hanatarou.

**Tokyo no Ecchi: **Yep. But I can't spoiler. XD … Nope. I don't know.

**Needmore: **I looked on wikipedia. There's written that the Chinese Zodiac has four areas, each one with a direction and an animal. And to tell the truth, there was a black bird instead of the tortoise. But I liked the tortoise more.

**Angeles:** Weird because she has no large breasts? OO By the way, Tatsuki's power is similar to Orihime's one, but… It's more, more physical.

**Sir Chris:** Sorry, but Naruto's powers will have nothing to do with the Kyuubi, because he is not in his body anymore.

**Antiassasinguy: **OO Yes, you are. Unohana-taichou… XD Well, I said I'm undecided, so I don't know… I will not throw the idea away. XD

"_Who… Who are you, guys?"_

"_We are the Sorairo no Kemono Si…"_

"_And we're your power."_

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter7: A violet beauty and an unfair sentence**

"My… My power?"

"Oh, yes. Let's start, would ya?"

Tatsuki was talking with his protectors while the Hollow was looking at them in disbelief.

"… _**You're not a Shinigami… Then, what the hell are you!"**_

"!"

"Let's start! Repeat with me! From the west, I summon you!"

"F-From the west, I summon you!"

"Tora no siroi katuryoku!"

"Tora no siroi katuryoku!"

The Hollow rushed at Tatsuki, and he jumped on her. He waited to fell her body crumble under his weight, but… Nothing.

"_**Where the hell… !"**_

The hollow looked above and he saw Tatsuki up in the air.

"How… How could I…"

"This is the effect of my power! The Tora no siroi katuryoku lends you the power of the felids. You can jump incredible heights…"

"Ehm… Felids don't jump this high…"

"BECAUSE WE ARE QUADRUPEDS, BAKA! IF WE COULD STAND ON TWO FEET, WE WOULD JUMP! I was saying, jump high and run very very fast! Try it!"

In that moment Tatsuki landed on the roof of the school, and then she started to run down the walls and the windows, breaking the last ones while running. Then she landed on the ground, and she kicked the hollow in the butt. The monster jumped slightly from the surprise and then he fell to the ground.

"_**Grr… I'll make you pay!"**_

"Now, for the defence! Repeat with me! From the north, I summon you! Kame no midori no hogo!"

"From the north, I summon you! Kame no midori no hogo!"

"_**!"**_

The Hollow tried to hit Tatsuki with his claws, but Tatsuki moved her left arm in front of her. The forearm protector transformed into an enormous green shield with the carving of the tortoise, smirking. The shield completely blocked his attack.

"Imobilize him, now!"

"Don't tell me! From the east, I summon you!"

"Smart girl… Ryu no buruu no hoyoo!"

Tatsuki moved her right arm in front of her. Her forearm protector became an enormous azure dragon, who blocked the Hollow in an 'embrace'.

"And now… Time to rock 'n' roll!"

"… What kind of celestial beasts are you, talking like this?"

"Shut up! From the south, I summon you! Tori no akai utukoto! Hikyaku! Then kick the air!"

"From the south, I summon you! Tori no akai utukoto! Hikyaku!"

"_**!"**_

The dragon disappeared and then Tatsuki kicked the air as said, upwards. From her right foreleg protector appeared an enormous burst of flame, which hit the Hollow. And then… For dinner, burst Hollow! The monster was turning to ashes and then to spiritrons.

"Wow… I… Won… By the way, where the hell have you come from?"

"You should ask Kurosaki Ichigo… And another person. We don't know his name."

"They have great spirit power. Staying near to them awakened us."

"Ichigo… And another person?"

"You know… I believed that you would get unconscious after using all of us at once…"

"But…"

"Aww… I feel tired…"

"?"

Tatsuki fell to the ground, unconscious. The four beasts sighed and then disappeared. Then, the sandal-hat guy reappeared with his assistant, who picked up Tatsuki too.

"Good work, Tatsuki-chan… Good work."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is the 25th… Uh?"

Naruto looked behind him. Something had appeared. Something that he saw only on books, before.

"A… A Menos grande!"

The enormous Hollow made his appearance in the sky. A frightening sight.

'Damn… I was so focused on fighting that I didn't notice his appearance. This is work for special squads! What the hell are they doing, up there! … Uh?'

Suddenly, Naruto saw like a black dot jumping high in the air… And slashing the Menos grande like butter. The enormous monster then retreated in Hueco mundo.

"… Fortunately, they made in time."

"Naruto-chan!"

Naruto turned around. Yachiru was in sight.

"Have you seen…"

"Yes. The Menos grande."

"Glad that the special squads made in time."

"To tell the truth, it was a single Shinigami to slash him."

"Really? Uhm… Now I'm curious. Who could he be?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tatsuki has always been a smart girl… But very sceptic too. What the sandal-hat guy was saying to her now was a crazy thing… But it was true.

"Hollow… Shinigami… And spiritual powers…"

"Well, what do you say? Don't you want to see Ichigo in his battle suit?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"HE WAS NO ONE FROM THE SEREITEI?"

"Nope."

Naruto had decided to ask for info, so, just after arriving in the Sereitei, he headed for the office of Kenpachi. Captain Kenpachi answered him that the Shinigami that slashed the Menos had not been sent from the Sereitei.

"… Then, what does it means?"

"It's impossible for Shinigami to form on the earth. So, there's only one option left."

"… ! Rukia!"

"Yes… But if it's so, then she would be in big troubles."

"?"

"If she's still in charge of his Shinigami powers, she is able to come back to the Sereitei, but she hasn't done it in two months."

"… Right."

"She hasn't even contacted us. It's a serious crime, you know…"

"… She would be punished?"

"Probably."

"… Understood."

"Ah. By the way, that Shinigami from the 4th Division…"

"Ah! Hanatarou?"

"Yes. He searched for you while you were away. He said: I have a surprise for him."

"A surprise? Thanks, Zaraki-taichou."

Naruto exited the office of Zaraki. Zaraki didn't want to say to him that the council already knew that Rukia had lent her power to a human, and he was the Shinigami who injured the Menos grande. And the council had already decided Rukia's penalty…

'She's going to be executed… It's strange, though…'

But Zaraki Kenpachi has always been a man with only two things in his mind: fighting and getting stronger. So, the execution of a Shinigami was not a matter of concern for him or anyone of his division.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, what's this surprise?"

Naruto had searched for Hanatarou. The two met in the garden of the 4th Division. Hanatarou was smiling, a rare thing for something like him, timid and unsure, without any confidence in himself… But now, he was smiling. So it could only be something really awesome.

"Well?"

"Look."

Hanatarou grabbed his Zanpakuto and placed it horizontally in front of him, touching the point of it with his right palm.

"Eh?"

"Kiero, Kamakaze!"

"… Don't tell me that…"

Hanatarou was like… Pushing the blade of his sword inside the hilt till, suddenly, the blade was no more in sight. The hilt was slightly different. It had the form of a half moon.

"So, this is your Shikai…"

"Yes… And I was really surprised that it was an attack type."

"But… Where is the blade?"

"Eheh… Behind you."

"!"

Naruto felt like the point of something in his back. He turned around to see the blade of Hanatarou, now in the shape of an half moon as well, like a sable instead of a katana.

"What the…"

"My Kamakaze is… Made of air."

"Made of air?"

"Yes. I can make it disappear and reappear wherever and whenever I want, and move it."

"Wow… A really underhand power…"

"I always thought that, since I'm so good with healing abilities, my Shikai would have been a healing one. It's been a surprise."

"It's fantastic! Now you have no more excuses to not fight me all out!"

"Hey… Calm down… I released it only yesterday…"

"The soon the better! Kaminari ga nare, Horaiken!"

"HEY!"

Immediately Naruto released his Zanpakuto and rushed at Hanatarou, who quickly dodged to the left.

"See? Some time ago, you would have been on the ground, now."

"… Probably…"

"That's why training is important! En garde!"

"Not the French…"

"Excuse me…"

"!"

"!"

The two friend stopped on their steps hearing a voice calling for them. They quickly turned around… And Naruto almost dropped his jaw. In front of them was a beautiful girl not wearing the usual Shinigami outfit. She looked more like a ninja, with a net shirt under a purple outfit, not covering her legs starting from the middle of her tights. But what caught the eyes of Naruto… Were her hair and her eyes.

'She's… She's the hot-springs girl…'

"Could you please tell me where I can find Unohana-taichou?"

"Yes. Over there, the big building. She's probably there reading some books."

"Thanks."

The girl walked away, leaving a still amused Naruto and a 'moving-hand-in-front-of-his-face' Hanatarou.

"Earth… Ehm… Nirvana to Naruto. What's up with you?"

"It's… It's her, Hanatarou! The girl I saw at the hot springs!"

"Her? She's the beautiful girl you blabber about every once and then?"

"Yes! Who is her?"

"… You sure chose a girl to be in love with…"

"I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH HER! I'm… I'm just interested, that's all…"

"… This doesn't change the fact…"

"?"

"The fact that Kurotsuchi Nemu is not a normal girl or Shinigami."

"? What are you saying?"

Now Naruto was really curious… And worried too. What Hanatarou meant with 'is not a normal girl' ?

"So her name is Kurotsuchi Nemu… Wait a minute. The surname sounds a bit of familiar, to me…"

"Of course…"

"?"

"She's… The daughter of Kurotsuchi Mayuri, taichou of the 12th Division."

"SHE'S THE DAUGHTER OF THAT PSYCHO?"

"SHHHHH! LOWER THE VOICE!"

Hanatarou covered Naruto's mouth and looked around. Fortunately Nemu was already gone. He sighed in relief and released Naruto.

"Now… What do you know about Kurotsuchi-taichou?"

"… He's a damn psycho. All he cares about is knowledge, and he doesn't care about the morality of his actions on acquiring it… He reminds me of a certain man I met when I was alive…"

_Flashback_

"_I'm the immortality… Jiraya, Tsunade… I hope to see you again soon…"_

"_Wait! Orochimaru!"_

_End of the flashback_

"… But… She doesn't look like him at all… Even if I haven't ever seen him without his make-up…"

"Well, he likes to call her daughter, but to tell the truth, she's one of his creations."

"!"

"Yes, you heard well. I said creations. He created her using combination of the 'Limb adoption' and 'Soul adoption' technique."

"… A creation of him…"

"… I don't say to discriminate her. I hate these things… Only, pay attention. She's like a puppet, completely devoted to him… Even if he treats her like garbage."

"…"

Naruto gripped his hands into punches, so tight to make them bleed. He knew really good how it felt to be treated like garbage… And to still be devoted to who treats you that way. In Nemu's case, was Kurotsuchi, her creator. In Naruto's case… Was the village of Konoha.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rukia… Was walking away. Away from Ichigo… Away from the living world… With her nii-sama and Renji. In a pool of blood, all that Ichigo could do, was cursing himself for not being enough strong to protect her… She was going… She was going to be killed… Executed… Because she lent her power to him to protect his family… No… He could do another thing other than cursing… Screaming.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One bad new after another. This week was not ending, for Naruto. All begun… When Rukia was finally back. He was walking for the Sereitei when he noticed quite a ruckus near the office of the 6th Division. He approached it… Only to see Rukia in a Gigai, wearing a human dress. At first he wanted to go to her and pester her for being absent for so long, but then he remembered about Zaraki-taichou words, and the strange look of Renji confirmed his suspects. The worst was waiting for an announce from the Council of the 46… Nope. The worst was the announce. Death penalty. Naruto yet couldn't understand this, after a week. Hanatarou was assigned for her care, so he managed to talk to her. But when he asked to him who was the one who she lent her power to, she immediately finished the talking. No matter how many times Naruto asked, she still didn't say a word. She said it to Hanatarou, Renji knew the name, but they didn't want to say it to him, fearing that he would suddenly go and kill him… And they were probably right. Dead or alive, Naruto was still a hot head. When Naruto was nervous, he trained. But neither all the swings of that world could calm him down.

'Damn it… Damn it… Damn it… DAMN IT! How can I stay calm and relaxed like this, knowing that in 18 days Rukia will disappear from this world!' "RAAAAAH!"

Naruto swung that swing with a bit too much of violence, since he created a little crater in the ground. Panting, he leaned on his sword, rage in his eyes.

"… Dammit…"

"Excuse me, are you Uzumaki Naruto-san?"

"?"

Naruto turned around… And guess who he saw? Kurotsuchi Nemu. He slowly got back on his feet, and greeted her with a weak smile.

"Hello, Nemu-san…"

"Do you know me?"

"Yes… What can I do for ya?"

"Mayuri-sama… Asked if you could lent him some of your blood for experiments."

"Blood?" 'That old freak… There's no way I'll… … Wait a minute.'

_Flashback_

"_She's like a puppet, completely devoted to him… Even if he treats her like garbage."_

_End of the flashback_

'… I bet she will be punished if I say no.' "Ok… I guess it's not a bad thing…"

"Thank you. Could you please sit down?"

"… Ok."

Naruto seated on a rock. And Nemu took out of her outfit a strange syringe-like instrument. She stabbed Naruto's forearm with it. Naruto felt like a little puncture while the thing started to fill with blood.

"Can I ask you… Why were you so upset?"

"Uh?"

"You hit the ground with such violence that it's impossible for you to be calm, at this moment. But if it was rude…"

"No, no… It's not a big thing… … It's about the execution."

"The execution of Kuchiki Rukia?"

"Yes… She's one of my closest friends."

"… I'm sorry for you, but the law is law."

"… It was like this in my living world too…"

"?"

"… In my living world, ninja were only mere tools to the most of the people. Their lives meant nothing more than numbers… But life isn't something to play with. And punishing with death… To punish someone is meant to teach a lesson. If you die, what lesson can you learn?"

"… It's a strange point of view…"

"But don't you think that is a logical one?"

"…"

"…"

"… Probably."

The strange thing was now full of blood. Nemu removed it from Naruto's forearm. Incredibly, there wasn't neither the smallest hole. The girl bowed a little and began to walk away, but suddenly she stopped on her steps.

"Do you know, Naruto-san…"

"? Yes?"

"I think we were in the hot springs at the same time, some time ago… I remember your Reiatsu around…"

Mentioning the hot springs, Naruto blushed even redder than Renji's hair, and he lowered his head looking at the ground.

"Ehm… Really?"

"… Why are you blushing like this, Naruto-san?"

"… Nothing, nothing at all…"

"… Goodbye, Naruto-san."

Naruto completely turned his head around, not anymore able to look at Nemu, while the girl walked away, impassive as ever.

'Yes… We were in the hot springs at the same time…'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm back, Mayuri-sama…"

"How did it go?"

"Here's the blood."

"Very well… Good work, Nemu…"

"Thanks…"

Nemu was back in the office of Kurotsuchi-taichou… Well, office. It was more like an enormous laboratory, the one most in sight. Here Mayuri did the experiments that the others could see. In other places he did experiments like experimentations on humans and other abominations. This one had even natural light, when usually laboratories of mad scientists are dark and creepy. Mayuri immediately took off the syringe-like object from Nemu's hand and he inserted it in a strange machinery. On a monitor, started to appear strange numbers and characters. Nemu was standing, like waiting for a reaction of Mayuri. The mad Shinigami smirked, like discovering something big.

"I knew it… I knew it! My theory was correct! Ahahahah… I want so bad to do experiments on him…"

"… Mayuri-sama…"

"What do you want?"

"It's about Naruto-san…"

"… Talk."

"I think… I think he has a liking for me…"

"! What did you say?"

"I think… He likes me… More than in a friendly way…"

"… Are you sure of it?"

"Well, first thing, when I said that you wanted some of his blood, at first I was sure that he would have said no, judging from his initial face, but probably he thought that I would have been punished if he refused."

"And he guessed right. Only that?"

"No. I remembered that I felt his Reiatsu before, one time in the hot springs, and when I mentioned the thing to him, he blushed. And when I asked why, he didn't say me, and he blushed even harder."

"… Yes… Yes! Good work, Nemu! You're for sure my greatest creation! This matter… This 'liking for you' of him it's a precious information!"

Mayuri quickly pushed a button and suddenly the floor in the middle of the room opened, revealing a big cylinder of glass. Inside the cylinder of glass, suspended in the air apparently from nothing, was a Zanpakuto in his sheath. The hand protecting part was black-coloured, while the hilt was white, and it had the shape of a five-points star.

"! That… Mayuri-sama, that is…"

"Yes… This is your Zanpakuto, Kagetensi."

Mayuri pushed another button and the pillar of glass opened. He grabbed the Zanpakuto and handed it over to Nemu.

"I'll give you the permission of using it. Even at full potential, if needed. Whenever the occasion presents, bring him to me making it look like he was killed by someone. And bring him to me ALIVE. Understood?"

"… Yes, Mayuri-sama. Thanks for your generosity…"

"… This is not generosity. This is only an action for the sake of my experiments, Nemu. Understood?"

"Of course, Mayuri-sama."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tatsuki was reeeeeeeeally stressed. First, he discovers that one of her class-mates is a Shinigami. Then that another one is going to be executed. Then, a cat trained her for days to help her to develop her power. Now she was able to use her powers for a long, long, long time and she could summon them saying only the name of the move, without all the strange 'I summon you thing', too similar to Orihime. But now… Running from a train covered in purple slime didn't beat them all?

"I'M SOOOOOOOOOO KILLING RUKIA-SAN WHEN WE SAVE HER!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto was in the garden of the 11th Division, for once, slacking off, thinking about many things. From Rukia to Nemu. What a busy life for a 314 years old boy… The peace reigned sovereign, and neither a fly was disturbing him… That, till the alarm went on. Naruto, with a jump, was back on his feet, listening to the alarm.

"Incursion signal outside west wall! Sectors three trough eight, switch to alert status! Repeat…"

"What? What the hell's going on?"

_Continue…_

_In the next chapter…_

Drifters! Drifters! Naruto rush in the middle of the battle… Just in time to see Hanatarou carried away by no other than… Kurosaki Ichigo? What the hell… And guess who, right after, appears in front of him to fight? Tatsuki! What will Naruto do? And Hanatarou? Stay tuned!

**Translations of word**

**Kiero:** Disappear

**Kamakaze:** Scythe wind

**Kagetensi:** Angel of Darkness


	8. The path we choose

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

Ooooook… Now, let's see what will happen now that Hanatarou is stronger and Naruto is in the whole mess! On which side will the two be? What enemies will the two fight? There's only a way to discover it… Enjoy!

Naruto: But first…

Hanatarou: The reviews!

**ZWngdragon: **Ok, I'll say this once and for all… KYUUBI IS DEAD! HE'S BURNING DOWN INTO THE HELL! HE'S PAYING FOR HIS CRIMES! HE WAS SEALED INTO NARUTO'S BODY, BUT NOW NARUTO IS ALL SOUL! Pheew… XD **Sorry for the cheap rudeness.**

P.S.: Since I forgot to translate Tatsuki's techniques in the last chapter, here you go!

**Tora no siroi katuryoku:** White energy of the tiger

**Kame no midori no hogo: **Emerald protection of the tortoise

**Ryu no buruu no hoyoo: **Azure embrace of the dragon

**Tori no akai utukoto; Hikyaku: **Red hit of the phoenix; Fire Kick

"_Incursion signal outside west wall! Sectors three trough eight, switch to alert status! Repeat…"_

"_What? What the hell's going on?"_

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter8: The pat we choose**

After a few minutes, the emergency was soon resolved. But Naruto, after almost two days, at dawn, was still unaware of what was going on. He walked into the office of Zaraki-taichou to see him preparing for a reunion.

"What's happening, Zaraki-taichou?"

"Oh, Naruto… Well, those drifters…"

"Don't tell me that they've passed the gate… They were at the west gate, and Jidanbou…"

"More or less…"

"More… Or less?"

"The drifters are Ryoka, from the earth."

"! Ryoka?"

"Yes. They managed to beat Jidanbou and they were about to enter the Sereitei, but Ichimaru Gin suddenly showed at the West Gate."

"! The taichou of the 3rd Division?"

"Yes… And that's the cause of the summit. Not only Ichimaru went to the west gate, something unusual for a Captain-class Shinigami… He fought them, but they're still alive."

"… Still alive after confronting a Captain?"

"Yes. I have two theories. First: Ichimaru let them alive on purpose, but we don't know why. Or, second…"

"They were so strong to survive against a Captain."

"… Exactly. And if the right theory is the second one, I can't wait to meet them. Let's hope they try to sneak in one more time…"

The eyes of Zaraki Kenpachi shined with excitation and something between blood-lust and fighting instinct. He showed that expression only a few times. And those few times were the only times when Naruto felt a shiver of pure fear trough his spine, because he unconsciously let out more Reiatsu than normal. But that wasn't still his full power, and he knew it well.

"I'm off."

Zaraki walked out, leaving Naruto deep in his thoughts. Ryoka… But why were they in Soul Society? And why they wanted to enter the Sereitei? What was there for them? He walked out. He needed to distract himself. But how? Hanatarou had his duties with Rukia, Renji and Yachiru were Vice-captains, Ikkaku and Yumichika were on patrol duty… So he decided to go back to his room, to see some WWE videos with Gin. He reached his room, but before entering, he stopped to see the dawn. The sun rising was always a beautiful sight. That enormous yellow sphere in the azure sky… A peace… Soon broken. The alarm, for the second time in three days.

"Emergency alert! Emergency alert! Intruders in the Sereitei! All squads, please take defense positions! Repeat…"

The sky… Was like distorting. Not the sky, but the barrier which covered the Sereitei. Naruto noticed a strange thing trying to break in… And suddenly, it broke in. Then it become a tornado and it divided into… Five different objects falling to the ground.

"Emergency alert! Emergency alert! Intruders in the Sereitei! All squads, please take defense positions! Repeat…"

"… That one… Fell not so far from here… Hey, it's near the pub were a quarter of the 11th Division is. I feel sorry for whoever he is, then…"

Then, an enormous explosion, like a burst of flame, blew up from the point where the told drifter fell.

"… What the…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hikyaku!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

That made forty. If all the Shinigami were piece of cake like those, rescuing Rukia was going to be like taking a walk to the bathroom. And Tatsuki liked it. She always loved fighting, and now that she had those new powers… She was enjoying it even more.

"Eheheh… Hurrya! Tora!"

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Using the power of the tiger, Tatsuki rushed into a pile of enemies, lifting them up into the air. She had learned to summon the power of the beats saying only a single word, so the technique was now better under many aspects.

"Eheheh… Next! Uh?"

Tatsuki was running, when suddenly she stopped on her steps. Another Shinigami had appeared from another road… And then, she was amused. In front of her was standing a very familiar blonde boy, who was looking at her with her very same expression.

"… This can't be…"

"… That's my line…"

"Tatsuki … What are you doing here?"

"…"

"… You're one of the drifters, right?"

"… And you're a Shinigami?"

"… Tatsuki, please, stop fighting and follow me. I don't want to hurt you."

"… I can't…"

"Please, Tatsuki… Not all the Shinigami in the Sereitei will try to persuade you to stop."

"… They would eventually waste their time."

Tatsuki was now in a Karate fighting pose, her forelegs/arms protectors shining with the dawn. Naruto looked at her with concern in his eyes. Then he slowly grabbed the hilt of his sword.

"… Tatsuki, I'm sorry for what is about to happen…"

"… At least, could you please better… No, sincerely introduce yourself to me?"

"… I'm Uzumaki Naruto, 4th Seat in the 11th Division of the Sereitei, the court of the pure souls."

"… Understood. Tora."

"!"

Tatsuki disappeared. Then, Naruto felt her Reiatsu reappear behind him. Before he could turn his back he felt two feet hitting him in the back. He flew forward, but he turned around in the air and landed safely on his feet, but still, the point where Tatsuki had hit him was really hurting.

'Her strength… Is enormous…' "Kaminari ga nare, Horaiken!"

"Kame!"

Naruto rushed at Tatsuki with his Horaiken, but the girl parried his attack with an enormous shield in the shape of a tortoise. She moved his Zanpakuto away using it, and then she kicked Naruto one more time, this time in the middle of his chest.

"Guh…"

"Ryu!"

"!"

Suddenly, Naruto was enveloped by an enormous blue dragon, unable to move. The dragon started from Tatsuki's forearm. Then she pulled hard the dragon, pulling Naruto towards herself.

"I'm sorry for this, Naruto…"

"!"

"Tori! Hikyaku!"

The blue dragon disappeared, but an enormous flame hit Naruto, making him flying towards a wall, burning and crumbling it. Tatsuki was waiting for a response, a moving. She was hoping that she hadn't kill him… Then, the rock slowly moved, revealing a burned and beaten up Naruto, looking at her very seriously.

"…"

"… You're still conscious…"

"… Tatsuki, please stop."

"Don't worry, I will not kill you. Tora!"

"… Same here."

"!"

Naruto slashed his Horaiken horizontally, and he saw a blur first slowing down, then stopping a few meters in front of him.

"… How…"

"Maware."

"!"

"Inabikaru no arasi."

"! Kame!"

Naruto made his Zanpakuto shoot thunders, and Tatsuki hid behind his shield. But when she released it, Naruto was no more in sight.

"Behind you."

"!"

Naruto hit Tatsuki straight in the face with the flat of his sword, and then in the stomach. The girl backed off, holding her stomach. Naruto, bleeding, was looking at her concerned.

"Please, stop."

"… Ryu!"

"…"

Tatsuki made her dragon flew towards Naruto… Who simply slashed him in half using the point of his Horaiken, which, remember, can reach incredible amounts of heat.

"… How could you…"

"I noticed something. Your techniques take their names from the legend of the four celestial beasts, so they're only four. Also…"

"?"

"You can use only one of them at once."

"!"

"And you need to say their name, to use the techniques, so it easy to counterattack, once observed them carefully."

"… Don't tell me…"

"…"

"… No! Damn it!"

Suddenly, the ground started to tremble around Tatsuki. She gathered all the Reiatsu she could on the red foreleg protector, ready to fire.

"Hikyaku!"

"… Maware."

The phoenix-like flame headed for Naruto, who lifted his Zanpakuto up in the air. The blade disappeared, and a storm of thunder began to strike all over around him. The Hikyaku stopped on it.

"! How is it… …"

Tatsuki felt like an electric shock hitting her, starting from the feet going up her body, making her unconscious. Naruto stopped his thunderstorm. He took out of the pocket a little potion.

'Glad that Hanatarou gave me one…' "You know… Flames needs oxygen to burn. And usually, thunders burn all the oxygen around the path they follow to strike. And no. I didn't let myself hit on purpose. You had stronger attacks, Tatsuki, because I couldn't use all my power on you… But in a fight the attack isn't all…"

Naruto drunk the small potion, and all the wounds and burn healed, and even the clothes were back better than before. Naruto picked up Tatsuki, and he decided to took her to the 4th Division, before continuing on going on.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the meanwhile, a certain black cat was walking trough the Sereitei, when she noticed a Reiatsu almost disappearing.

"! Tatsuki… … Fortunately, she's only unconscious. It's not the Reiatsu of a dieing person… She has probably meet someone from the 13th Division."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thanks for taking care of her. Now I must go."

"Ok. Be careful."

After leaving Tatsuki in the hands of the 4th Division, Naruto went away. He heard of two other drifters which were nearby. He rushed at the place, just in time to hear and see something awful.

"Hey! Make way"

"If you don't want your friend to die!"

"Ahhhhh!"

"…"

"…"

'The drifters have taken an hostage?'

"What…"

"Do you think you're doing?"

"Let me pass… Let me pass… I'm 4th seat…"

"Huh?"

"We're taking… Him hostage…"

"Do we look like we are his friends?"-

"Aren't you?"

"I… I'm from the 4th Division, and they're from the 11th… And I have only one friend in the 11th Division…"

"!" '4th Division? Only one friend!' "LET ME PASS, DAMMIT!"

"We, the 11th Division, are the strongest of the Gotei 13. the 4th, on the other hand, is so weak that all they're good for is medical operations…"

"Furthermore, the division that we dislike the most…"

"IS THE 4th DIVISION!"

"IF YOU WANT TO KILL HIM, GO AHEAD!"

"TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE!"

"YEAH! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"NOOOOOOO!"

"JUST BECAUSE YOU DISLIKE HIM, YOU DON'T CARE IF HE DIES! THAT'S HORRIBLE!"

"Oh? Nicely said…"

"Dammit… HANATAROU!"

"Uh? Naruto?"

Naruto had finally made his way trough the crew from the 11th Division, only to see Hanatarou being hold hostage by a strange man dressed in a weird green outfit… And…

"KUROSAKI ICHIGO?"

"UZUMAKI NARUTO?"

"Uh? Do you know him?"

"What the hell are you doing here? And why are you dressed as…"

And then Naruto noticed the enormous Zanpakuto which Naruto was holding with his hands. Then, he did 2+24. Rukia… Had lent his power to a Shinigami. Renji said that Kuchiki Byakuka had taken care of it…

"… So, it was you…"

"?"

Suddenly, Naruto began to emit a terrifying killing intent along with his Reiatsu. All the Shinigami from the 11th Division backed off, and Ichigo went eyes wide open.

'His Reiatsu amount… It's equal to mine…'

"… You're the one who stole Rukia's power."

"!"

"BECAUSE OF YOU, RUKIA IS GOING TO BE EXECUTED!"

The walls around Naruto broke a bit, the Reiatsu making craters in both of them. Naruto whispered something, and his Shikai was active.

"She's one of my closest friends… AND NOW SHE'S DAMNED, AND NO ONE CAN DO ANYTHING TO SAVE HER."

"… Don't…"

"?"

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT!"

Now it was Ichigo's turn to be angry. He let out his Reiatsu, that was really equal to Naruto's one.

"I KNOW THAT SHE'S GOING TO BE EXECUTED BECAUSE SHE LENT ME HER POWER TO SAVE MY FAMILY! WHY DO YOU THINK I'M HERE FOR?"

"?"

"I'M HERE TO SAVE HER, DAMMIT!

"!"

"IF YOU REALLY ARE HER FRIEND YOU WOULDN'T SURRENDER SO EASILY! DIFFERENTLY FROM YOU…"

"…"

"I'M GOING TO SAVE HER! NO MATTER THE COST!"

"…"

Suddenly, the wall crumbled because of an explosion. A big rock hit Naruto on the back of his head.

"Urgh!"

The last thing that he saw before becoming unconscious was Hanatarou being carried away by Ichigo and the strange looking man.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Uff… What a run…"

"I wonder what was that explosion…"

"Who cares, Ganju? The important thing is that we got away without… !"

Ichigo had to stop moving his head, because a blade had appeared in the air, covering the space between him and Ganju and preventing them to move. They slowly turned around their eyes, and they saw Hanatarou holding the hilt of a Zanpakuto in his hands.

"You've underestimated me…" 'Damn, I can't hold the cool act for so long…'

"Weren't you good only for healing?"

"I'm the one doing question's, here." 'Oh, damn… My stomach…'

"Ichigo, I think he's right, you know…"

"My name's Yamada Hanatarou, and this is my blade, Kamakaze."

"Kurosaki Ichigo…"

"… So, it's really you…"

"?"

"Are you really here to save Rukia-san?"

"? Y-Yes…"

"…"

The blade disappeared, and Hanatarou sheathed his Zanpakuto, sighing in relief.

"Very well, then… I know of a short cut to the Senzakyuu."

"!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto finally woke up. Next to him, in another bed… Ikkaku.

"Ikkaku… What're ya doing here?"

"Yo, Naruto… I got my ass wiped by Kurosaki Ichigo…"

"! You're… You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. And the other guy managed to beat Yumichika."

"… Then, they're strong… Maybe…"

"… Maybe what?"

"… Nothing, never mind…"

"… They told you about the motive of their incursion, right?"

"!"

"… You know, Naruto… There are various kinds of fights… Fights versus an enemy, fights over food, fights over who gets the last cup of Sake… And internal fights."

"…"

"Now, you're having an internal fight. You owe the Sereitei very much, but you don't feel like leaving a friend to die like this…"

"… I…"

"You have to choose your path, Naruto. But you must always remember this… The path you must choose should always been dictated by your heart, not by the others."

"… Understood…"

"Ah, one tip. If you really want to help them… Do that after some hours, ok?"

"Uh? Why?"

"Because Zaraki-taichou is after Kurosaki Ichigo."

"… Understood."

"By the way, you're ok. Now that you're awake, you can go. But they said that the taichou of the 4th Division wants to meet you, before you go."

"Ah. Ok."

Naruto dressed up and went out. He asked a pair of girls from the 4th Division about the Captain's whereabouts, and he ended up in front of the office.

'Now that I think about it… Hanatarou talked about her a lot, but I've never meet his captain before… He always said that he's a frightening woman… I bet that he's an old hag like Tsunade-baachan.'

Naruto knocked at the door, and a voice said 'Come in.'. He opened the door to find the Vice-Captain and the Captain of the 4th Division. Naruto met the Vice-Captain, Kotetsu Isane, before, but it was the first time he met Unohana Retsu… And it was the first time he thought that Hanatarou was crazy. One could say various things on Unohana-taichou, in his eyes. That she was beautiful, that she had beautiful silky hair and shining eyes, that she could give the hots to many men… But not that she was frightening. She smiled at Naruto and said…

"Are Uzumaki Naruto from the 11th Division?"

"Eh? Y-Yes…"

"It's unusual for something from the 11th Division to be so polite, you know… Knocking at the door…"

"Ehm… I think so too…"

"Naruto-san, I wanted to talk with you about Hanatarou."

"… Yes."

"Hanatarou managed to achieve his Shikai, and he always talked about you. You've been useful to him. Now he has a bit more of self-confidence."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"And… Do you know where he is now?"

"… Two of the drifters took him as an hostage."

"… Understood. But… I know that the drifters are here to help Kuchiki Rukia, right?"

"Right."

"I noticed that Hanatarou has become very close to her. What do you think he will do, if he knows about it?"

"… He already knows."

"And?"

"… He will help them without a second thought."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto was newly out, to search for Hanatarou. But he was still unsure on what to do. Loyal to his friends… Or loyal to the Sereitei? He didn't know that soon something would have given him the answer. Or… To be correct… Someone. He was jumping on the roofs of the Sereitei, when he sees… Kurotsuchi Mayuri and Kurotsuchi Nemu fighting another drifter, one with glasses.

'Now… What should I do? Help him? Help them? Or… I should just go on? … … Damn, have I ever been so coward? … Uh?'

Naruto saw Nemu grabbing the drifter with glasses, Mayuri jumping to them with his Zanpakuto released. Naruto figured out what he was about to do.

"No… He can't…"

He did it. He slashed first Nemu and then the young drifter. Naruto went like paralyzed. Something this horrible… And he continued. Nemu begged him on helping her, and he kicked her side.

"Don't fool me! There's no way one of my creations will die so easily!"

"Aaaaah!"

"… Stop…"

"He said right…"

"!"

"!"

"!"

Naruto had jumped from the roof, and he had landed in front of Ishida, showing his back to him. His Horaiken was released, and rage was in his eyes.

"Stop right now…"

"Naruto-kun… You've come to give us a hand, but we've already done with this drifter, here…"

"… Then, be done with me, bastard."

"Uh?"

"… What are you saying, Naruto-kun?"

"I say…"

Naruto emitted all his Reiatsu, making the air crackle with electricity. He placed his Horaiken on his right shoulder, and he pointed a finger towards Mayuri.

"I'm not here to help you."

"…"

"I'm here to kill you."

_Continue…_

_In the next chapter…_

Naruto jumped in the middle of the battle because he wanted to help Nemu, but the same Nemu, at Mayuri's orders, wants now to fight him. How will Naruto deal with a so powerful to be revealed enemy? Stay tuned!


	9. Two friends VS Two ViceCaptains

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

Here we go! Let's see what your favorite Meinos has prepared for you! What will be the outcome of the sudden appearance of Naruto? And what will Nemu do? And what about Hanatarou? Enjoy!

Hanatarou: But first…

Naruto: The reviews!

**Antiassasinguy: **Yep. In the game. But here in Italy we don't have Bleach as a manga, figures if the game has arrived. We download all from internet, So, I'm excused.

**Antiassasinguy, yuuhiuzumaki: **XD Folks, you're incredibile! For the pairings I'm undecided. Expecially because I had a very crazy idea… MUAHAHAHAH!

"_I'm not here to help you."_

"…"

"_I'm here to kill you."_

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter9: Two friends VS Two Vice-Captains**

"You're… Here to kill me?"

"…"

Naruto was still showing his power, Kurotsuchi was like paralyzed, but suddenly… He began to laugh. He kept on laughing, harder and harder, till he stopped, panting for the fatigue.

"… What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing… If you leave the fact that this way you finally give me an opportunity to make you my little guinea pig… I'll finally have new material for experiments. You and that female Ryoka, together, make two new areas of study… Not like that Quincy over there."

"… What do you mean?"

Naruto turned his head to see the Ryoka talking. So, he was a Quincy. They still existed, then.

"I've already finished studying Quincy! I have no more interest in them! But I have to say… Retrieve them it's been difficult. They were guarded by Shinigami, so I had to bride those Shinigami… The last one I got was a dirty old man."

"…"

The ryoka's face showed worrying and preoccupation. He was sweating like afraid of knowing who was this old man. Mayuri started to search for something inside his vest.

"He kept on shouting the name of his grandson or student… It was disgusting as hell… Do you want to see a picture? But I took it after he was studied, so…"

Mayuri tossed the photo high in the air, making Naruto and the glasses Ryoka seeing it. Naruto, disgusted, frowned his face, while the Ryoka went eyes wide open. Naruto turned to Mayuri one more time, even more anger in his eyes.

"His body is… Not exactly intact."

"You damn freak! You'll pay for this too!"

"The name of his student was… I forgot. I really have no interest for things that I have finished studying…"

"!"

Suddenly Naruto was almost knocked to the ground by an enormous Reiatsu shockwave.

"What the…"

"I'll tell you… His student's name…"

Naruto turned around to see the Ryoka overwhelming with power and Reiatsu surrounding him like a cloud. He was slowly getting back on his feet.

'This… This is incredible…'

"Uryuu. Ishida Uryuu. This man's name is Ishida Souken. He was my sensei… And my grandfather…"

"Ho. So?"

"Thankfully, Inoue-san isn't here… Because I can't let her see this fight. I swear on the pride of the Quincy…"

"…"

"I will… Kill you."

"…" 'His Reiatsu is enormous… No, wait… Quincy collect spiritrons from the surroundings… His ability to collect spiritrons is this high?'

"… Ho. What a situation…"

Mayuri took from the inside of his jacket a little bottle and he tossed it to Nemu, along with her Zanpakuto. The girl quickly drank the liquid contained in the bottle, and in an instant all her wounds were gone. Then, she newly stood on her feet.

"Nemu…"

"Yes, Mayuri-sama?"

"!" 'She… She calls him Mayuri-sama… After all that!'

"I will take care of mister Quincy, here. It seems that he is worth studying, after all… And between the two, he's the stronger. I'll leave Naruto to you. Capture him alive."

"Yes, Mayuri-sama."

"!"

"… Shinigami…"

"… Yes, Ishida-san?"

"How do you… Ah, yes. I said my name seconds ago. I don't know your reasons, but it seems that you want to help me. But I ask you to leave. It would be better for both of us."

"Why?"

"Because I want to kill him by myself. And besides, being in different places will not allow them to help each other."

"… Understood. By the way, my name's Uzumaki Naruto."

"… Nice to meet ya."

Then, Naruto shunpoed away, quickly followed by Nemu, leaving Mayuri and Ishida facing each other. Ishida moved his free hand towards his glove.

'I'm sorry, master… I shall, again, disobey you…'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto, after a few shunpo, landed on the top of a random building in the Sereitei. Immediately, Nemu appeared in front of him on the near building. She tied the sheath of her Zanpakuto to her vest clothes, and then she unsheathed the katana. Naruto was confused to say the least.

'… Why?' "Why…"

"Uh?"

"Why, Nemu-san? Why are you doing this?"

"… I don't understand the question. You've…"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND? That damn freak slashed you and then stomped on your wounds! And I believe that he did even worse things to you, in your life! Why are you still his obeying dog!"

"… I'm his Vice-captain… I must…"

"That's not the point! You could have asked a transfer, or, at least, react!"

"… I don't know… But… I feel that I must obey him, no matter what."

"… This time, I am the one who doesn't understand something…"

"Naruto-san… You deliberately declared your will to kill a Taichou class Shinigami, and you wanted to help one of the drifters. This makes you a traitor."

"…"

"And I need to put you under arrest."

"Tsk… Under arrest." 'That damn freak bastard will put me in a glass cylinder and in the end I will be reduced like that poor old man of the photo…'

"If you choose to follow me…"

"The hell that… Sorry for the language…"

"…"

"…"

"… Then, you leave me no choice."

Naruto grabbed his Horaiken with both hands, in the standard position for fighting. Nemu slowly unsheathed his Zanpakuto, which was emitting various rays of black and white colour. She held it horizontally in front of her.

"Kakurero…"

"…" 'Her Reiatsu keeps on growing…'

"Kagetensi."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"!"

The various Vice-Captains were reunited, minus Renji, Yachiru and obviously Nemu, and they all got startled when they felt this new Reiatsu. Well… Not so new. At least not for Momo, Nanao, Isane and Rangiku.

"What…"

"Rangiku-san… This Reiatsu…"

"Yes…"

"Girls, could you please explain us whose is this enormous Reiatsu? It's Vice-Captain level, but I never felt it once in my life."

"… The owner of this Reiatsu is Kurotsuchi Nemu."

"Kurotsuchi Nemu? Ah, now I understand… I never felt this Reiatsu before…"

"Because she never carries her Zanpakuto around or uses spirit power. That damn freak of Mayuri keeps her weapon, but it seems that he made an exception, this time."

"And how come you girls know her Reiatsu?"

"… One day Mayuri was on the earth for some researches…"

_Flashback_

"_Come on, Nemu-san! Let us see your Shikai!"_

"… _But… My Zanpakuto is inside…"  
_

"_Hey! I pushed some buttons and I found this Zanpakuto inside a glass cylinder! Very strange, nh?"_

"…"

"_Come on! What's the name of your weapon?"_

"… _Kagetensi."_

_End of flashback_

"Even if she sees that sword max two times at month, her power…"

"Is really at Vice-Captain level."

"I wonder who is she fighting? I can't sense the power of her opponent because she's overwhelming it…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"… That's… Your Shikai…"

Nemu was now holding the released form of her Zanpakuto. But… It was an unusual one, indeed. The hand protecting part of the Zanpakuto was still the same, but… It had two hilts. One on each side. And from each side, two blades, one with the inner part black and the outer part white, and the other one with the inner part white and the outer part black, and their cutting sides where opposite as well.

"This is the released form of Kagetensi."

"… Words will no more resolve anything, right?"

"No."

"… Then… Come."

Nemu rushed at Naruto with incredible speed. Naruto saw her attack from the left and he parried it. The two clashed. Then Nemu backed a little and then attacked him again and again and again, using both sides of her Kagetensi.

'Her hits… Are quite strong, for a female Shinigami… And she's incredibly quick.'

Suddenly Nemu tried to directly stab Naruto in his right shoulder. Naruto dodged and was about to counterattack, slashing her right arm, but Nemu pointed her weapon in the ground, and used it to turn around it, dodge the attack and kick Naruto hard in the face. Naruto fell backwards, but immediately made a back-flip to dodge a new attack from Nemu. The girl continued to attack and Naruto to parry.

'Damn it… I can't win parrying only. Damn it… Is there this much of difference between a 4th seat and a Vice-captain? And I actually believed that I could kill a Captain… But the worst is still to come. The name of her Zanpakuto… Kagetensi… I don't think that it refers to the colour. Her Zanpakuto has probably some trick added… Damn it! There's no time for this!' "Uooh!"

"!"

Naruto blocked the Kagetensi with the curved spikes of his Horaiken, then he pushed Nemu forward. Nemu was being pushed back, then she freed her Zanpakuto and jumped back. This time was Naruto's turn to attack. But Nemu dodged all his attacks simply moving laterally.

'Damn it… She's faster than me. This is certain.'

"Naruto-san, you have no chances of beating me… You're a 4th seat, and I'm a captain… We're on completely different levels."

"… Sorry, but I've sucked with math… Numbers don't say anything to me."

"!"

Naruto fainted another hit from the left side, then he suddenly repeated the move, and he finally hit Nemu on her left arm. She quickly moved away with a little jump, landing on one of her feet.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the meanwhile, Ichigo was fighting Renji, while Ganjuu and Hanatarou were just watching. Hanatarou wasn't at ease.

'Damn it… There's nothing I can do other than staying here to watch the fight? … But I'm afraid. I've gotten stronger from the time I met Naruto, but… I don't know how much. I did never fight for real versus a real opponent…' "!"

Hanatarou panicked. He sensed another Reiatsu… A Reiatsu that he knew well. The Reiatsu of a certain Vice-Captain. And that meant serious troubles. Yes, maybe Ichigo was able to handle Renji, but two Vice-Captains were too much for him.

"Hey, do you sense it?"

"Yes…"

"… What should we do?"

"…"

Hanatarou gulped. There was no other choice. Ganjuu was obviously no match. And Ichigo was occupied with Renji. Maybe him, because he knew well the abilities of that Vice-Captain… Yes, it was the only thing to do.

"Ganjuu, stay here. I'll take care of it."

"WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY?"

"… Maybe. But I will able to slow her down, though… After all, she's my Vice-Captain."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes. Because Kotetsu Isane was approaching the battle field. After Naruto's little talk with her, Unohana-taichou ordered her to search for him. But suddenly she felt two enormous Reiatsu clashing, and she decided to go and see. She was almost there, when… She found in front of her the Shinigami she was searching for, Yamada Hanatarou. He was like… Waiting for her.

"… Hanatarou."

"… Isane-chan…"

"Hanatarou, where were you?"

"… I was helping two of the drifters to save Rukia-chan."

"!"

"…"

"… So, Naruto-san was right. You really helped them without a second thought."

"Yes. And that's the motive I was waiting for you too."

"… One of the drifters is fighting with Renji-san, right?"

"Yes. And I can't allow you to join the fight."

"… Hanatarou, your situation is already bad. Don't make it worse."

"… I'm sorry…"

Hanatarou unsheathed his Kamakaze and he pointed it at Isane, with a worried face. His Vice-Captain was only stupefied.

"But I took a decision. And I can't go back on my steps…"

"… Yamada Hanatarou, helping those drifters and hindering a Vice-Captain makes you a traitor. You will be put under arrest while waiting for the right punishment."

"…" 'Here I am… Risking my life, fighting against my Vice-Captain… But… Why do I feel so… Relieved?'

"Hashire, Itegumo!"

"!"

With a quick move, Isane unsheathed her Zanpakuto, summoning her Shikai. The blade suddenly divided into three, one vertical and two coming out of the hilt at 45-degree angles. Then she swung it in front of her, like a fan. Hanatarou knew he had to move away, because he knew well about her ability. Suddenly, a strong wind filled with snow and ice began to blow. Then the various gales of wind compacted into one enormous bullet, who moved at high speed versus Hanatarou. Hanatarou managed to dodge it, while the bullet continued its death walk. But Hanatarou didn't have the time to get distracted. Immediately Isane rushed at him.

"Kiero, Kamakaze!"

"Your Shikai…"

Kamakaze took its usual sable-like shape, and Hanatarou used it to parry Isane's attack. Then he pushed her away and he swung his Zanpakuto… Well, the hilt of it, because the blade disappeared into the air, as usual.

"!"

Isane saw the blade reappearing in the air and she managed to dodge it barely, since she earned a scratch on her right shoulder. Then the blade disappeared again.

"It's an interesting ability…"

"… Thanks…"

Hanatarou newly swung the hilt of the sword and the sword appeared to slash Isane's chest from upside down, but the girl dodged the hit.

'… First, he moved the hilt of the sword from the right to the left, and the sword hit me horizontally on the right shoulder…'

"…"

Hanatarou newly moved his hilt and the blade reappeared. Isane blocked the sword, this time.

'And the second time he moved it upwards and the blade tried to slash me on the chest following that motion. So…'

"…" 'She blocked my sword… But it's made of air.'

The Kamakaze disappeared in the air one more time, and Hanatarou was immobile, like waiting for another move of Isane.

'It's not that difficult to understand the moves of his attacks. They follow the swings of the hilt.' "Itegumo!"

Another bullet of ice, this one more powerful and quicker than the previous one. Hanatarou barely dodged it, and immediately Isane rushed at him. Hanatarou saw her coming only a few seconds after, while she was closing in.

'He can't swing the hilt enough fast.'

"!"

And he didn't swing. He simply turned the hilt upside down and pushed it downwards. And… Isane felt something cutting trough her flesh, halfway down her right shoulder.

"!"

She backed off… And she saw the Kamakaze suspended in the air, blood dropping from it. Then it disappeared, letting the blood falling down, and then it reappeared in front of Hanatarou.

"Isane-san… I don't need to make my Zanpakuto appear near the body of my enemy."

"… I noticed it…" 'He placed it on my way, and I literally ran into it…' "You'd grow very fast, Hanatarou…"

"Thanks, Isane-san."

"I've never thought that I would have been forced to use this ability of my Zanpakuto with you, of all people…"

"?"

Isane placed her Zanpakuto in front of her, and she closed her eyes, like focusing. Suddenly, the three blades began to rotate, slowly, emitting strange blue powder in the air.

'I've never seen this attack… I suppose isn't something she shows around.'

"Kuuki o reetoo suro, Itegumo."

"?"

Suddenly, Hanatarou felt like the temperature in the air was drastically going down. And even before he could notice that snow was falling from the air, another bullet of snow and ice hit him in the back, sending him flying in a wall.

"Gaaah!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nemu was staring at Naruto, impassibly as ever. Then she slowly got back on her feet, thinking about what she was going to do.

'… He's stronger than I thought. I suppose I have to hurry and defeat him before he gets any serious injuries. Mayuri-sama orders are to take him alive.' "You're strong, Naruto-san."

"Thanks…"

"But still, you have no chance of beating me. I'm a Vice-Captain, and Vice-Captains are on a completely different level even from 3rd Seats."

"I've already said that math means nothing to me. If I don't try the power of my enemy on my body, I don't give up."

"… Then, you shall try my power on your body."

Suddenly, violet energy began to exit Nemu's Kagetensi, and to enter her body. The Zanpakuto was glowing alternatively with white and black energy.

'… I guessed right.'

"My Kagetensi doesn't only morph, when released. When I want, I can use this power of it."

"…"

"Watasi kakusu, Kagetensi."

"!"

All the energy entered Nemu's body, who then moved to the right. Naruto saw… Like photograms of her movements, each instant of moving remained like impressed in a violet silhouette in the air for a few seconds, before disappearing. Nemu moved to the left, and the process repeated. Then Nemu started to run around him in circles.

'… What the? Is this her ability? Lowering my sight with the photograms of her moving? … No… It's impossible. But then, what…?'

"Here I come."

"!"

Nemu rushed at Naruto from the right side. Naruto parried placed his Horaiken in the way he needed to parry the attack, directed at the right shoulder… But then… He felt something cutting his left side instead.

"Uh!"

Nemu jumped back while Naruto held his new injury with the right hand, blood coming out of it. He looked at Nemu with a look of disbelief on his face.

'What the… Where did that attack come from?'

"This is the difference between me and you, Naruto-san. Not the power…"

"… Damn it…"

"Nor the speed…"

Nemu rushed another time at Naruto, leaving photograms behind her. She tried to slash Naruto's right side, this time. Naruto parried, but then he felt something stabbing both his legs.

"Argh!"

"It's the ability."

Nemu jumped another time back and she aimed for Naruto's shoulder. Naruto couldn't do nothing but place his sword in front of his shoulder. But instead, he felt a sword stabbing both his arms.

"Aaah!"

"Even if they have the same level of physical ability, Shinigami are ordered by their powers as holders of Zanpakuto. Or to say better… How do they use them."

"Ngh…"

Naruto slowly fell to the ground. With holes in your arms and legs, it's quite difficult to stay erect, you know. But he still managed to stand on his knees and elbows.

"… Damn it… What the hell of ability is this?"

"I can tell you, since you can't do anything about it, Naruto-san."

"…"

"The angel of darkness is the angel of death. You can't see it coming. The ability of my Zanpakuto is to charge me with that strange energy. As you understood, it doesn't have the purpose to reduce your sight. Those violet frames like… Hypnotize you."

"Hypnotize?"

"You know that after each movement, there are various following movements. If I lift my leg I can give you a kick or put it newly down. My Kagetensi hypnotize you making you see the wrong following movement, hiding my real body from you."

"!"

"The only way to fight this technique is to not see my frames, which means to close your eyes and fight using your other senses. But you aren't an expert of that kind of fighting. That's why I'm telling you about my ability."

"…" 'Kuso…'

"You're defeated, Naruto-san."

'… Damn it… Is there really nothing I can do? … … ! This… This Reiatsu…' "Hanatarou?"

Naruto felt Hanatarou's Reiatsu near another one with an high level of power. He was… He was fighting. That damn scaredy-cat… Was fighting… Another Vice-Captain.

'… What a damn idiot I am…'

_Flashback_

"_We will talk about the importance of training."_

"_HEEEEYYYY!"_

"_Since you're my only friend and automatically my best friend, I'm a little worried."_

"_See? Some time ago, you would have been on the ground, now."_

"… _Probably…"_

"_That's why training is important! En garde!"_

"_Not the French…"_

_End of the flashback_

'… I was the one blabbering about training, courage and being a man and here I am… On the ground like a piece of meat.'

'Then, raise your body and fight. You have already a strategy in mind, and enough energy to do it.'

'How come you talk only when I'm in serious troubles?'

'Stand up and fight, baka. I'll give you the power. You don't have to fear anyone as long as you have me in your hand. Remember, fear is what keeps your power in reserve. As you did the first time, you must get free of fear.'

"… Understood."

"Uh?"

Naruto got back on his feet. And this time… More and more and more energy was flowing out of his body, causing enormous gales of wind to blow in all the directions.

"You know, Nemu-san… I want to thank you…"

"Why is that?"

"I had a friend, back in the living world, who had the ability to predict the movements of his enemies, seeing them like photograms. And I've always been pretty damn curious to see what it looked like… I suppose it's quite similar to now."

"…"

"Said that…"

Naruto pointed his sword at Nemu and another blast of wind, much bigger than any of the other, was created by Naruto's spirit pressure.

"I sincerely hope that you won't get hurt too much, Nemu-san."

_Continue…_

_In the next chapter…_

Naruto and Hanatarou keep on fighting! Naruto collapses right after, only to find himself healed in the barracks of the 13th Division, where he meets a man who wants to try his power and determination. Stay tuned!


	10. Trust is to be earned

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

YAHIIIIIIIIIIII! MORE THAN 100 REVIEWS! YEEEEEES! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU! I'M SOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY! And I have good news for you… Other Naruto characters will be in the story! But you'll never guess how… Never. I can tell and assure this to you. NEVER. Now, let's answer to my beautiful reviewers! I love you! ( Especially female ones… )

Naruto: I'm so happy! Then I'll meet again the others?

Hanatarou: Can't you tell us anything else?

Meinos: Uhm… Ok. The first two Naruto characters that will appear are Sakura and Kiba. I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING MORE!

**Dumbledork:** NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ( He pukes, then eats cookies and pukes again. ) Uff… I've already answered this question. Chakra is exclusively for living things! Reiatsu is the dead form of chakra. No chakra, no party… EHM! No jutsu! XD

**Dobe-Teme:** Yes, but a Shinigami can't enter a living body. Only Gigais, and gigais are artificial bodies.

"_You know, Nemu-san… I want to thank you…"_

"_Why is that?"_

"_I had a friend, back in the living world, who had the ability to predict the movements of his enemies, seeing them like photograms. And I've always been pretty damn curious to see what it looked like… I suppose it's quite similar to now."_

"…"

"_Said that… I sincerely hope that you won't get hurt too much, Nemu-san."_

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter10: The trust is to be earned**

"… And how do you intend to hurt me, Naruto-san?"

"… It's quite a sunny day, isn't it?"

"!"

"Gotcha…"

Naruto spun the hilt of his Horaiken four times, and then he jumped high in the air, covering the hole with the hand. Suddenly, in the space between Naruto's hand and the hilt began to form a ball made of pure lightning, while his Reiatsu grew.

"!" 'His Reiatsu… It's almost…'

"This is a new trick I learned a few days ago! Marui inazuma!"

"!"

Naruto raised his hand, and an enormous sphere made of lightning, with a diameter of two meters, formed on his hilt. Then he rotated on himself, and he launched the sphere towards the ground like doing a baseball home-run. The sphere hit the ground while Nemu jumped just in time… The sphere exploded, ripping off all the buildings in the range of 50 meters. When Nemu landed, the entire area was covered in a cloud of dust and detritus.

'… He noticed it…'

"Light, isn't it?"

"!"

Naruto lowered his Horaiken to hit Nemu, but the girl parried the hit, but Naruto was still pushing. Reiatsu was still overflowing from his body. Nemu was being pushed towards the ground.

"…"

"Your Zanpakuto is almost perfect… It uses the light of a sun to lock my eye on a single image while you hit me wherever you want ( Note: I saw this thing in an episode of Daitan III) … And I bet that at night you have a similar trick to hypnotize the enemy."

"… Yes…"

"But a so powerful trick has surely a weakness… And I bet that you can't use both of the tricks at the same time."

"…" 'His Reiatsu… It's definitively…'

"… I'm really sorry for this, Nemu-san…"

"!"

Naruto pushed with all his strength, and he broke Nemu's Zanpakuto, and the he cut her in the middle of the stomach. Holding both the pieces of her broken Zanpakuto, the girl jumped away, looking at Naruto with a worried expression on her face, panting. Naruto placed his Horaiken on his shoulders.

"Uff…" 'Glad I made it… I can't stand for too much time like this, with all this blood coming out…'

"… Naruto-san, I have… To give you my congratulations."

"Uh?"

Nemu got back on her feet, smiling at him, still holding both the pieces of her Zanpakuto.

"Mayuri-sama was right on you… You're really a powerful opponent."

"Thanks…"

"You're an active Shinigami from only a few months, but you're already at the same level of power of a Vice-Captain."

"… I take these compliments because they come from you, Nemu-san… I bet that your so-called dad has talked about me in completely different terms…"

"… Yes, you're right… Probably, right now, I don't stand a chance against you."

"… Nemu-san, I don't want you to… !"

Suddenly Naruto fell on his butt because of an incredibly powerful gust of Reiatsu coming out of Nemu's body. The girl had closed her eyes, and she was no more smiling. She was back to the inexpressive face. And she was holding her broken pieces like they were two Zanpakutos.

"… What the… !" 'What's… What's happening?'

"However…"

'My legs… Aren't moving… Neither my arms… And I can barely raise my head… And… What's this feeling… I felt like this… Only one time, in my life…'

_Flashback_

"_Please, tell me… Which vital organ do you prefer?"_

"_!"_

_End of the flashback_

'Zabuza… That time… It's the same thing.'

"Unfortunately for you…"

'I'm… I'm paralyzed because of her killing intent enlarged by her enormous Reiatsu amount?'

"Mayuri-sama authorized me to use my Zanpakuto to its maximum power."

Nemu's Reiatsu was… At least 5 times bigger than Naruto's one, and he kept on growing. The girl had crossed her two halves of her Kagetenshi in front of her.

"…" 'Move, dammit… Move!'

"… Ban… !"

Suddenly the Reiatsu disappeared, because Nemu got like distracted by something. She turned around in the direction from which she and Naruto had come before, where Mayuri and Ishida were fighting.

"This… This is impossible… Mayuri-sama…"

"?" 'Maybe… That bastard lost to that Ryoka? To Ishida-san?'

"…"

Nemu, like uncertain about what to do, looked a few times in the direction where Mayuri's Reiatsu was coming and to Naruto, alternatively. Then she bowed deeply, lowering her upper body.

"Sorry, Naruto-san."

And then, Nemu shunpoed away, leaving a paralyzed and panting Naruto laying on the ground. He smirked, still unable to move.

"She said sorry… When I should be the one… Saying thanks… Damn it… I'm… Passing out…"

And then, the black fall over Naruto. After five minutes, two people passed by, and they decided to pick him up. Capturing an alive Ryoka was a great thing, after all.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Aaaaaah…"

Hanatarou got smashed into the wall for the sixth time. His uniform was all ripped, and blood was coming out of several scratches, little cuts and of his mouth. He fell another time to the ground. Snow was covering all the ground and the roofs in the surroundings, and in various points it was covered in blood. And Isane was bleeding only from the previous wound. In minutes, Hanatarou has not been able to land another hit on his Vice-Captain.

"Hanatarou, surrender yourself. You're not able to even stand, figures to fight. Stay here while I deal with those Ryoka."

"…"

Hanatarou tightened the grip on his Kamakaze, and with the other hand he scraped some snow. Then, he began to get back on his feet, panting hard. He raised his head, one of his eyes covered by his hair.

"… I can't… Surrender… And I can't… Lose…"

"… Could you please explain me one thing, Hanatarou? Before, you were a shy kid, but responsible, loyal and obedient. And now, here you are… Covered in blood… Fighting me, your Vice-Captain… Why? And how the hell have you changed so much, to come to the point of going against the Rukongai?"

"… Let's say… That I learned that not always the strongest is right… If I kept on thinking like that, at this moment, I would still be bullied around."

"… And who taught you this?"

"… Uzumaki Naruto."

"… Has he been such a bad influence on you?"

"!"

"Those bastards from the 11th Division… They destroy everything they come in contact wi… !"

Suddenly… Hanatarou got angry. But really angry! He suddenly let out an enormous gust of Reiatsu, filled with anger. His eyes too showed nothing else but anger.

"Naruto… Naruto has not been a bad influence…"

"!" 'His Reiatsu…'

"Naruto has been my first friend!"

Another gust of Reiatsu, bigger than the last one, swept away a lot of snow, while Hanatarou's Zanpakuto began to glow. He rushed at Isane.

"!"

Isane parried the swing, but Hanatarou pushed with so much strength that she lost her balance, and he pushed her on the ground on the left. She quickly jumped back on her feet, while she was observing Hanatarou's body. His wounds… Were healing, even if the blood was still there on his skin and ripped uniform.

'… What the… ! Hey… If I remember right…'

"Yes, Isane-san. You guessed right."

"!"

"This is the secret technique I was developing and that I never showed to anyone."

"…"

"A Shinigami's body is made of spiritrons. If I could transform my Reiatsu in spiritrons, I could heal my wounds during battle, without using healing techniques."

"… And why you didn't show this to us before, if you've already completed it?"

"Because I managed to complete it only yesterday."

"?"

"I lacked into experience of manipulating Reiatsu and of the right amount to activate the technique… I began to develop both of them from the day I started training with Naruto."

"…"

"Naruto has been my first friend… He taught me how to fight, to have faith in myself… Thanks to him I gained the courage to do what I think I was right."

"… Going against your Division and the entire…"

"I DON'T CARE!"

"!"

Another gust of Reiatsu. Isane almost lost her balance, and this time the wind kept on blowing. So much that Isane had to cover her eyes.

"I want to save Rukia-san! She lent her power to a human so that he could save his family! And that's a crime? The true crime would have been letting them die!"

'… His Reiatsu… It can't be…' "Dash, Itegumo!"

Another ball of ice and snow dashed towards Hanatarou, who… Simply swung his Zanpakuto to make it disappear.

"!" 'This… This can't be…'

"And I will do anything to save her! Even fighting you… And anyone else on my way. … I'm terribly sorry for this."

"!"

Kamakaze's blade disappeared… And suddenly, the wind of the Itegumo stopped. And even more suddenly… Blood began to flow out of practically every centimetre of Isane's body, on the front. Then, she fell to the ground, muttering: "Hanatarou…". Kamakaze reappeared and turned back to its not released form, and Hanatarou sheathed it.

"I'm sure that there will not be any scars on your body, Isane-san. Unohana-taichou will take care of you. And a squad is arriving."

Hanatarou turned around and began to walk away from the snow-and-blood-covered battle ground, where another Vice-Captain laid bleeding on the ground.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ganju was stupefied. Ichigo had just beaten a Vice-Captain, who was now shouting something to him, begging him to save Kuchiki Rukia. That guy was really something.

"Hey, Ganju! How is Ichigo doing?"

"!"

Ganju turned around, and his jaw almost dropped to the ground. Hanatarou was in front of him, with his uniform in one piece no more, but… He was unharmed! And he couldn't felt the other Vice-Captain anymore! What the hell…

"…"

"Uh? What's the matter?"

"… Weren't you of the 4th Division good only at healing?"

"Eh? Ah… Ahahahah… Let's say that I'm an exception…"

"… An exception who is unharmed after fighting with a Vice-Captain…"

"It's only because I healed my wounds. Do you see how my clothes are… Hey! Ichigo-san!"

"Uh? Damn it! He fainted!"

"And people is coming this way too! We need to go away!"

"Back in the sewers!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the meanwhile, Nemu, after 'thanking' Ishida for not killing Mayuri and collecting his liquid form, she put him into a strange machinery inside his lab, to heal him. When he was finally able to talk, he said…

"YOU IDIOT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"Eh? B-But I felt your Reiatsu fading away, Mayuri-sama, and…"

"I didn't ask for your help! You stupid bitch! You let Uzumaki Naruto run away! And we're the only ones who know that he's a traitor! Every Shinigami who'll find him will take him in a safe place! Dammit!"

"… I'm sorry…"

"… If you're so sorry, then go immediately away and after him! NOW!"

"… Yes, Mayuri-sama."

Said that, Nemu bowed and got away. While his left eye and his nose was newly forming, he thought.

'I have to remember to kill her and remake her without feelings, the next time…'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'… Am I alive? … Yes, probably… But I hope to not be in a cylinder of glass…'

And so, Naruto opened his eyes. But he was not in a cylinder of glass. He was… In a futon, all bandaged. And the futon was in the middle of a room, which seemed like the room of a dojo.

"Where… Where am I?"

Then, Naruto turned around… And he found himself two centimetres away from a girl with short blonde hair and black eyes.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Naruto almost jumped by the surprise, but he couldn't move because of the pain of his wounds. He closed an eye and greeted his teeth for the pain, while the girl got up from her kneed position.

"You're finally awake. When we found you unconscious in the middle of those crumbled buildings, we thought that you were done for sure."

"Where… Where am I?"

"We're in the 13th Division headquarter! And I'm the Vice-Captain, Kotetsu Ki…"

"WROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!"

Another Shinigami rushed in, pushing the girl out of the way. Naruto sweatdropped. The guy had black hair and a black beard.

"I AM the Vice-Captain, Kotsubaki Sentarou!"

"NOPE! I WILL BE THE VICE-CAPTAIN!"

The two began to fight, while Naruto lost the count of the sweat-drops on the back of his head. Then, something jumped in his head. This was the 13th Division, Rukia's Division. And she told him that the Division was actually without a Vice-Captain. So he understood why those two were fighting. They were probably the famous 'two third seats' of the 13th Division. Then, he noticed something again… Or better, someone's steps. The two Shinigami immediately stopped fighting, and they bowed deeply at the entrance of…

"Ukitake-taichou!"

"Good morning!"

The Captain of the 13th Division entered the room. He was a tall man with white long hair. Rukia talked very much about his Captain. She always said that he was a very good-hearted, wise and powerful man, even if he was often ill. Naruto understood that she always said the truth. The man in front of him had like… An aura of authority and respect, even when he seated on the knees on the ground to talk to him.

"How do you feel?"

"Ehm… Good, more or less… Thanks, Ukitake-taichou."

"Uhm… You're Uzumaki-Naruto, right?"

"… Yes. 4th Seat of the 11th Division. And a close friend of Kuchiki Rukia."

"… I know."

"…"

"… Did you fight with a Ryoka? That's why you ended up like this?"

"…"

Naruto has always been a hot-head, and by the way… He felt like he could tell the truth to Ukitake. After all, he was Rukia's taichou. He certainly would not stay there dumb-founded to watch while one of his Division is taken away.

"… No."

"No?"

"NO?"

"NO?"

"… My opponent was the Vice-Captain of the 12th Division, Kurotsuchi Nemu."

"… And why were you fighting her?"

"… Because I wanted to help the Ryoka to save Kuchiki Rukia."

"!"

"!"

"!"

"… Did you help them to kill Aizen, captain of the 5th Division?"

"! Aizen-taichou has been killed!"

"…" 'From his reaction… I can tell he's telling the truth… And this confirms my suspects. There's something going on with Rukia's execution.' "Yes. And we don't know who did it. So, the orders are to take the Ryoka alive."

"… But… !"

"!"

"!"

"!"

Suddenly, an enormous spirit pressure filled the room. It was powerful and thick, even if it came from the Senzakyuu. Naruto had never felt a spirit pressure so powerful, before… No, wait… It was… It was powerful as Nemu's one when he got paralyzed.

"Who…"

"It's… Kuchiki Byakuka…"

"?"

"6th Division's captain. And it comes from the Senzakyuu."

"! Captain! The Senzakyuu! Hanatarou, Ichigo and that strange guy in green are probably there!"

Naruto looked for his Zanpakuto around, and he found it leaned against a wall. He quickly took it, even if his wounds still hurt and rushed away.

"! Wait!"

"…" 'The pain… But I have to go! Hanatarou… !'

Naruto couldn't believe at his eyes. Ukitake had shunpoed, reappearing in front of him. But he didn't notice his move until he reappeared in front of him.

"… Move."

"I can't. Don't make me waste my time."

"… Dammit! Move away!"

Naruto tried to release Horaiken, but he was too weak. He failed in doing it, so he simply hit Ukitake's Zanpakuto with so little power that the captain of the 13th Division didn't even move.

"… Anf… Anf…"

"Who are you fooling? You can't even stand. What can you hope to do against a Captain?"

"… Shut up…"

"And by the way, why are you making this? You're choosing to go against the rules even knowing that you're not enough powerful."

"… SHUT UP! WHO SAYS I'M NOT ENOUGH POWERFUL!"

And Naruto tried to hit Ukitake a pair of times, this time with more strength than before. But Ukitake still parried all his swings without even sweating. And a wound of Naruto reopened.

"Anf… Anf…"

"…"

"And even if… I wasn't enough powerful…"

"…"

"What should I do? Let her dieing like this? Or entrust his fate to people that I barely know or that are complete strangers to me?"

"… Yes, trust is to be earned."

"I have… Rukia's trust… And I'll stay by her even if I die."

"!"

Ukitake got like… Surprised by Naruto's speech. This boy… Strongly resembled his dead Vice-Captain. Naruto noticed his surprise, and ran past him. But suddenly… He felt a blade stabbing him. Another wound. Made by Ukitake.

"… You have my trust… Uzumaki Naruto…"

"Gah…"

"But like this, you can't go anywhere. You'll stay here and heal. … Kiyone. Sentarou. Stay here and heal him. It's dangerous to come with me."

And then, Ukitake got away, leaving a bleeding Naruto in the hands of two 3rd seats. While falling, Naruto saw one more time Horaiken… But it wasn't his mind that was transferred one more time to its world… It was Horaiken who appeared in front of him, behind Ukitake.

"He's right. For the moment, rest…"

"…"

"You baka."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the meanwhile, things were getting bad for Hanatarou. He and Ganju were forced to leave Ichigo behind fighting Zaraki Kenpachi, a Captain, but another one was now in front of him, after beating the shit out of Ganju… Kuchiki Byakuka, said to be one of the strongest Shinigami who ever appeared in the Sereitei. Hanatarou… Was petrified. What could he do, against a Captain? … Then, he took a decision. He took a step towards Byakuka.

"Rukia-san…"

"Ha-Hanatarou… What do you…"

"I'm going… I'm going to take time. I'm sure I can take enough time for you to escape this tower. So, remove that collar and run away while I fight your brother."

"! Fool! What can you possibly do against my brother? You can't defeat him! And I…"

"I know he's too strong. That's why I said that I'll only act as a diversion."

"…"

"Please… Run away, Rukia-san."

"…"

Hanatarou took another step towards Kuchiki Byakuka, unsheathing Kamakaze with his right hand, whispering its release.

"…" 'I know I can buy enough time for Rukia-san to escape… Using the trick that I learned yesterday, fighting Isane-san… I'm glad that Rukia-san told me even about her brother's powers.'

"… Do you think…"

"!"

"To can even be a distraction, against me?"

"!"

Kuchiki Byakuka disappeared. And suddenly Hanatarou felt his presence behind his back.

"!"

"Byakuka nii-sama, stop!"

He didn't have the time to swing… He didn't have time to move… He only had the time… For a single thought. And suddenly, the sound of two swords clashing could be heard. The Kamakaze… Was behind Hanatarou's back, and it had parried Byakuka's hit. The 6th Division's Captain was amazed. It was the first time someone who wasn't a Captain parried that hit.

"… How did you?"

"My Kamakaze is a air-based Zanpakuto. It's made of air, and I can make it disappear everywhere. At first, I needed to swing the hilt of it to direct it, but I learned on doing it…"

"… With a single thought?"

"… Yes."

Hanatarou moved away from Byakuka, holding the hilt of his Kamakaze, which reappeared in front of him. Byakuka returned to his impassive self.

"… Very well. Since you succeeded on stopping my blow, I shall treat you with more regards."

"…"

Byakuka placed his sword vertically in front of him, sign that he was about to use his Shikai.

"Nii-sama! Don't!"

"Scatter…"

"!" 'Now!'

"Senbonzakura."

The blade of the Senbonzakura disappeared, as well as Kamakaze's one. But… The scene of a thousand of sakura petals scattering and then the enemy falling to the floor bleeding didn't repeat. Otherwise… It looked like the thousand sakura petals clashed with a thousand silver petals, and nobody got hurt, and the blades reappeared. And all the people around were really surprised. Byakuka because he didn't know what happened, as well as Rukia, and Hanatarou because… Because Kamakaze was by his side. Its form. The form of a beautiful girl with white skin, and silver eyes and hair, waist-length, wearing a silver coloured kimono.

"… You're…"

"I'm always by your side, Hanatarou… You should know…"

"… How…"

"?"

"How did you parry my attack?"

"… I don't have to make Kamakaze reappear in one piece."

"!"

"!"

"… Don't tell me that…"

"!"

Ukitake had made his entry. But he was surprised at least as the others. A 7th seat… Of the 4th Division, out of all… Parrying a hit from the Senbonzakura?

"… You did split the blade of your sword in a thousand of tiny blades to emulate and parry Byakuka's attack?"

"… Exactly."

"…"

"Hey! Nice trick, Hanatarou!"

"!"

Hanatarou raised his head. Upon him was… Flying… Kurosaki Ichigo? He landed near him, and he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Then, you're not good at healing only! Nicely done!"

"Ehm… Thanks."

"Well, now we'll save Rukia for sure. Let's go, Hanatarou!"

"… Yes. United and strong." 'I've never thought that I would have said a phrase like this, in my life!'

_Continue…_

_In the next chapter…_

Naruto and Hanatarou woke up from their slumber and… What? Hanatarou wasn't sleeping? Ah, yes. Well, follow the next chapter to know what happened! Stay tuned!


	11. BanKai

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

Oooooook! Let's go on with the story! I bet that you guess what's going to happen now, right? Uhuhuh… How are going to be like, Hanatarou's, Naruto's and Nemu's ban-kai? Eheheh… Enjoy! After the reviews, obviously!

**KokoroAngel: **Here in italy we don't have Beach and we don't have official data-books. And after all, this an AU, so… It doesn't matter that much.

**Antiassasinguy:** Hey, but in the end Unohana isn't killed by Aizen. Read better the manga, dude. By the way, your drama is fantastic!

**Starjacker:** Yes. He is the scientist guy. For the ban-kai… Just wait.

**Meca Vegeta:** Naruto looks 16 years old, here. He's not much different from how he is in the manga now, only that he's taller. And the others… Well, you have to wait! It's a surprise!

Sakura: When are we going to enter the story?

Kiba: Right. When?

Meinos: Soon, soon… ( Something's strange about these guys… )

"_Well, now we'll save Rukia for sure. Let's go, Hanatarou!"_

"… _Yes. United and strong." 'I've never thought that I would have said a phrase like this, in my life!'_

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter11: Ban-kai**

In one day, Hanatarou had been used as a projectile, as a rope, etc… Well, he had been throw away a lot. Lastly, he had been throw off the Senzakyuu, of all place. And by Shihouin Yourichi, the legendary 2nd Division's taichou named Shunshin, of all people! Now Hanatarou had just awaken from his sleep. Flying for miles and then hitting a tower isn't something good for your health, you know. And he was still stuck into the tower. Fortunately, Hanatarou had the good sense of protecting himself with Reiatsu. At his side, Kamakaze was looking at him, concerned.

"Are you all right, Hanatarou?"

"Yes… Thanks for the concern, Kamakaze. Because you are Kamakaze, right?"

"Yes. It's me. So, what are you going to do?"

"…"

_Flashback_

_Ichigo and Hanatarou were about to fight Kuchiki Byakuka, when, suddenly, a black and orange blur jumped on the bridge of the Senzakyuu. All the people there immediately recognized her. But before Hanatarou could say one word, she grabbed him by the collar of his Shinigami robes and leaned his ear near her mouth._

"_Take Naruto Uzumaki and reach this place. He is in the 13th Division's barracks."_

"_Eh?"_

_But before Hanatarou could understand what was going on, Yoruichi released his collar… And then she slammed her palm into Hanatarou's stomach, sending him flying for miles. Hanatarou reacted with all the calm and self-control needed._

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

_End of the flashback_

"It seemed that Yoruichi-san wanted to help us… So, I think we can trust her."

"So?"

"… She said 'this place'. What does she meant with… Uh?"

Then Hanatarou noticed a paper coming out from the inside of his Shinigami robes. He took it out and opened it. It was a map of the Sereitei, and there was a place marked with an X.

'When the hell did she… Oh, never mind.' "This is the place."

"She said to go and take Naruto-kun also. She said that he is in the barracks of the 13th Division."

"… I wonder how Naruto has been doing."

"So?"

"… Kiero, Kamakaze."

"… Yes."

Hanatarou grabbed the hilt of his Zanpakuto while the blade disappeared. And suddenly, the point of the tower where he was trapped into was all cut and he was free. Then, he started rushing downside the tower, determination in his eyes.

'Here I come, Naruto.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto was still in his bed, full of bandages. He was angry. But not with Ukitake-taichou for stopping him. He was angry with himself for not being enough strong. Captain Ukitake was right. Even if he went there, even if he was at full health, Kuchiki Byakuka would have still beaten the shit out of him. Neither Horaiken, still materialized by his side, could comfort him.

"Come on, it's not that bad…"

"What? Being weak, powerless and useless?"

"… Uff… You sure are a pain in the side…"

"In the side? Hmph… It's only that… The story is always the same."

"…"

"When I was young, I wasn't enough strong to make people acknowledge me. Then, I wasn't enough strong to bring Sasuke back. And now… I'm not strong enough to save one of my friend. I wonder if it'll ever end…"

"…"

"The thought is always the same. I want to get stronger. Stronger. Stronger, dammit! OUCH! The wound hurts!"

"… Naruto, to tell you the truth… Uh?"

Suddenly, it seemed like the wall of the room was enlightened with four rays of lights coming from inside it. And even more suddenly the wall crumbled into pieces. And behind a hole, there was Hanatarou near a strange person.

"Hanatarou! Uh?"

"Naruto! Uh?"

"Is that your Kamakaze?"

"Is that your Horaiken?"

"Ohoh… It seems that Hanatarou too has gotten stronger. Nice to meet ya, Kamakaze."

"It's a pleasure, Horaiken."

"What are you doing here?"

"… I have to take you somewhere."

Hanatarou lifted Naruto and placed one of his arms around his shoulders. Naruto grabbed Horaiken and then they rushed off. Destination: the secret place of Shihouin Yourichi and Urahara Kisuke.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the meanwhile, in the said place, Yourichi and Ichigo were standing. Well, Ichigo was swinging his sword back and forth like mad, while Yourichi waited with her arms crossed and her eyes closed. Then, Ichigo exploded. Waiting wasn't his best point.

"AAAAARGH! HOW MUCH DO WE HAVE TO WAIT!"

"They'll be here soon. We have to wait for them to make explanation, otherwise we would lose more time doing it twice."

"… Uff… Uh?"

Suddenly, from a hole in the rock wall of the secret place, two heads popped out. Well, four, if you count in their Zanpakutos too. Hanatarou's and Naruto's ones. Ichigo was surprised and Yourichi smiled.

"Hanatarou? Naruto?"

"Ichigo-san! Yourichi-san! We're here!"

"WOW! Who is that black beauty?"

Hanatarou and Naruto approached Ichigo, and started to talk like old friends who didn't see each other for years.

"What have you been doing?"

"Me? You and Hanatarou!"

"Eheheh…"

"Now that we're all here…"

"Hey. Who are those two over there?"

"They're our Zanpakuto. In their concretized forms."

"Concretized forms?"

"I said, now that…"

"Hey! Zangetsu too appeared to me like that, one time! But I can't do it on purpose…"

"Really? Dumb-ass!"

"Hey, stop arguing…"

"…"

Suddenly three enormous punching sounds could be heard in the entire secret place. The three friends were on the ground, smoke coming out of three enormous bumps on their heads. Also Yourichi's right hand was fuming.

"Shut the hell up and listen to me."

"G-Gomen nasai…"

After coming back to common sense, the three were waiting for Yourichi's instructions, Kamakaze and Horaiken still materialized.

"As I thought, you two have already reached the level where you can hold your Zanpakuto's soul permanently materialized. Unlike Ichigo."

"No need to remember me…"

"Eheheh… It's not that bad…"

"Don't get so depressed, Ichigo-san…"

"First, a question for you, Ichigo. Have you ever noticed that your Zangetsu is always in its released form?"

"Oh? So it's like Zaraki's one?"

"What? You met captain Zaraki?"

"Yes. We fought."

"WHAT? AND YOU'RE STILL ALIVE?"

"Yes. I won, indeed."

"… How is this possible…"

"I'll explain this later. So you probably also don't know, like Hanatarou and Naruto too, that there's another level of Soul Release for your Zanpakutos."

"!"

"!"

"!"

Ichigo, Hanatarou and Naruto were, to say the least, surprised, while Horaiken smirked and Kamakaze remained silent. There was… Another level of soul release for a Zanpakuto?

"All the soul cutters have two levels of soul release. The first one is the Shikai. The second one is called Ban-Kai."

"!"

_Flashback_

'_I'm… I'm paralyzed because of her killing intent enlarged by her enormous Reiatsu amount?'_

"_Mayuri-sama authorized me to use my Zanpakuto to its maximum power. … Ban… !"_

_End of the flashback_

'So… Nemu-san…'

"One must be able to do both of them, to become a captain."

"! It is?"

"…" 'But Nemu-san is only a Vice-Captain… I bet that Mayuri forced her to hide her powers. He wants her under his control for her entire life, I bet. Bastard!'

"In other words, every captain can do Ban-Kai. With one exception. Zaraki Kenpachi. This is the reason why you've never heard of the Ban-Kai, Naruto."

"?"

"In the long history of the soul society, he's the only one who has became a captain without even knowing the name of his Zanpakuto. His raw strength is not to be taken lightly even by the Gotei 13."

"…"

Naruto felt something inside his body. He admired Zaraki Kenpachi because of his strength. But… He despised him too because of his attitude towards his Zanpakuto.

"… You're right. Captain Zaraki… Only thinks of the Zanpakutos as war tools…"

"And… And what about me, Yoruichi-san?"

"The 4th Division isn't specialized in fighting, so voices on Ban-Kai aren't so many, in there…"

"… Understood…"

"The power and forms of Shikai and Ban-Kai are dependent of the soul cutters… They also vary according to the wielder's strength and training… But in general, one's power can grow 5 to 10 times greater."

"! 10 times?"

"Ten times… Stronger…"

"…" 'I wonder how much is Unohana-taichou strong, then…'

"Scary, isn't it? This is because from being able to do Shikai to Ban-Kai, even the strongest guy need at least 10 years to train."

"10 years!"

"But… We don't…"

"We must…"

"I know. It takes 10 or more years to train if you do it with the proper method. But even though it's very risky and dangerous, I will use a different method to make you three learn Ban-Kai in three days. It's necessary, if we want to save Kuchiki Rukia."

Silence fell upon the secret place. Hanatarou was very scared and Naruto and Ichigo were nervous. Then, Naruto asked…

"… Why is that?"

"… I know that at least four captains will be on our side. Aizen is dead, and I'm strong as one captain. Mayuri will probably not take part to the fight, so that leaves seven captains that will go against us."

"Eight."

"Uh?"

"Even if she's not a captain, I met a Shinigami who is able to do Ban-Kai."

"… Who is she?"

"Kurotsuchi Nemu. She was about to use it against me, but she rushed away to help Mayuri. She said the word 'Ban', before running away. And her Reiatsu was growing in the terms that you said before."

"… So, that makes eight captains. That's a problem. Well, it will be nine, to say the truth, because old man Yamamoto is strong as two captains."

"… Maybe Unohana-taichou will not fight."

"Maybe. And before you ask, you don't have to worry about Vice-Captains. If you learn Ban-Kai, they will be like piece of cake, for you."

"But… Who are these four captains on our side?"

"Kyouraku Shunsui, Ukitake Juushiro, Hitsugaya Toushiro and Zaraki Kenpachi."

"… I will not ask why, because we would lose precious time. Hurry up and tell us this risky method."

"… Very well."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yachiru was, to say the least, worried. Big-boobs girl said that Naruto was going to help Icchy, but was he going to be alright? After all, he was going to fight at least one captain. And he didn't know how to use Ban-Kai. … She could only hope that Naruto became stronger in time. Then, she heard a noise. Inoue walked out in the garden of the 11th Division.

"Yachiur-chan…"

"Big-boobs girl."

"Hey. I have a name. It's Inoue!"

"Ok, booby!"

"Mphh… What were you thinking about?"

"…"

Yachiru raised her head and looked at the sun. The sun remembered her of Naruto's bright hair…

"I'm worried about Naruto-chan…"

"… You feel about him the same way I feel about Kurosaki-kun, right?"

"! N-No! It's not like… … Yes. I do."

"… You know, I think those two are quite alike."

"Uh?"

"They're stubborn, overprotective with their friends and they would do anything to help them… So, I have faith that they will get strong in time to save Rukia-san, me and my other friends too."

"…"

"If you really love Naruto, you should have faith in him. You know that he will be alright."

"… Yes."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the meanwhile, Nemu was being scolded another time by a half recomposed Mayuri.

"What does it mean that you can't sense his Reiatsu anymore!"

"… Sorry."

"… I didn't expect anything but that, by you. Well, listen. That brat will probably try to save Kuchiki Rukia. So, you'll go to the execution court and you'll wait for him there. Then, you'll fight him and bring him to me. Alive."

"… Yes, Mayuri-sama."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto was in another point of the secret place. After being instructed by Yourichi about how acquiring Ban-Kai, he and Hanatarou moved to different places. Horaiken was in front of him.

"Now… What is this challenge you're going to make go under?"

"Don't be in a rush, Naruto. First, a bit of theory."

"… Ok."

"Do you know why you need to rotate my hilt to use the thunders sealed inside me?"

"Uh? Well… Because their destructive power is so high that I will be damaged as well. And if I fight with allies, it would be troublesome. Killing your enemies but you and everyone else in the process… Man, it's bad."

"Correct. And this is the fundamental of the Ban-Kai. Learning to control the overwhelming power that flows out when you use it. There are two ways to do it. The first one is the slow way, that needs ten years. You learn to control the power little by little."

"And the short way?"

"… Naruto…"

Suddenly, Horaiken lifted one hand and a thunder struck Naruto from the sky. Naruto didn't feel anything, but when the thunder disappeared… He was dressed in a ninja suit. He still had Horaiken Zanpakuto in his hands, but he was dressed like a ninja. ( Exactly like Kakashi. ) Even his forehead protector was back. And… He could feel chakra and Reiatsu at the same time.

"What… What is the meaning of this?"

"We have become best friends, it's true…"

"!"

Suddenly, Horaiken began to emit an enormous amount of power, mixing chakra and Reiatsu. He quickly summoned the same sword as Naruto, making it out of another thunder. He got into a fighting stance.

"But you still haven't gained my respect."

"!"

"If you want to achieve Ban-Kai, you must submit me and persuade me to lend you my power. To control me, is to control the power of Ban-Kai. And the only way to do it, is to fight me and defeat me."

"…"

"In this fight, you'll have your shinobi powers back. You will be able to use Shinigami arts and Ninja arts at the same time. So, Naruto…"

"…"

"Come."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the meanwhile, Hanatarou too had followed Kamakaze in another point of the secret place. He was silent all the time, deep in his thoughts.

'… From 5 to 10 times…'

"Well… Here is perfect."

"… Kamakaze… Do you really believe I can do it?"

Kamakaze turned around to look at Hanatarou, calm as ever, while Hanatarou was really worried.

"Do what, Hanatarou?"

"… Achieving Ban-Kai…"

"Uh?"

"I… I don't feel sure about this… And I think that even if I manage to achieve it, it will be not enough powerful to help the others… I'm… I'm afraid… Of letting them down…"

"…"

Kamakaze place one of her hands on Hanatarou's cheek, and she looked at him in his eyes, smiling warmly. Hanatarou didn't manage to throw away the worried look.

"Hanatarou… You're far more stronger than you think…"

"… Really?"

"Really. Don't forget that I know you better than anyone else. You've always been full of talent for everything, but the thing was that you don't have faith in yourself. And if you can't believe in yourself, who can?"

"…"

"If you trust in yourself, you will achieve an enormous power. A power that will permit you to defeat any enemy on your path. Promise me that you'll try your best."

"…"

Hanatarou swallowed a little, then he looked at Kamakaze and smiled weakly.

"O-Ok… I'll do my best. I promise I will get strong."

"Very well, Hanatarou… But promising isn't enough."

"Uh?"

Kamakaze Zanpakuto disappeared from Hanatarou's hand. Suddenly, the sky upon the point where they were started to fill with clouds. Then, the clouds began to rotate, and the wind to grow in intensity. And soon, before the eyes of Hanatarou, an enormous tornado appeared. Hanatarou opened his mouth and his eyes wide open in disbelief.

"You must prove me that you're enough strong to control me and my full power. Otherwise, you will never achieve Ban-Kai."

"What… What I must do?"

"… I'll be in the eye of the tornado, Hanatarou."

"…"

Kamakaze started to float in the air, moving towards the tornado. And then, she entered it. Hanatarou could still hear her voice, though.

"Reach me."

"!"

_Continue…_

_In the next chapter…_

Wowwowowow! Hard training for our heroes! Will they be able to achieve Ban-Kai or they will get killed in the process? Stay tuned!


	12. Three saviours

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

Heyheyhey! It's Ban-Kai time, dudes! Let's see how the others are doing! Ah. Some of you have probably noticed that Rave Shinobi Master and Naruto: Half Shinobi got deleted… Well, I didn't know how to continue Rave Shinobi Master. In the end it was a copy of the original Rave… For NarutoXRanma, same problem! I was going to rewrite all the episodes of the anime! It's boring, you know… At the beginning I liked the idea, but… Sorry. Well, let's go on with the story!

**dany le fou:** XD One Thousand Years of Pain! Sorry, no Mayuri bashing for now.

**ZWngDragon:** Haku? Wow. Never thought about it. Thanks for the advice.

**Hidden:** Well, I can't spoiler anything. In this chapter you'll see what Hanatarou's and Naruto's Ban-Kai look like. For a glimpse of their power, you'll have to wait the next chapter.

"_In this fight, you'll have your shinobi powers back. You will be able to use Shinigami arts and Ninja arts at the same time. So, Naruto…"_

"…"

"_Come."_

"_You must prove me that you're enough strong to control me and my full power. Otherwise, you will never achieve Ban-Kai."_

"_What… What I must do?"_

"… _I'll be in the eye of the tornado, Hanatarou."_

"…"

"_Reach me."_

"_!"_

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter12: Three saviours**

At first, there was silence. Then, chaos. The two enemies rushed at each other one more time, with enormous strength. Their swords clashed and the ground under them trembled. The two blondes pushed against each other.

"Come on, Naruto. This is still not enough."

"…" 'Same strength…'

The two emitted an enormous amount of chakra and Reiatsu combined. A crater appeared under their feet and then they backed off with a jump. They gathered a ball of Reiatsu/Chakra in their right hands and then they launched them at each other. The spheres exploded, and the two rushed at each other one more time. They exchanged blows, but no one of the two hit the other.

'Same speed.'

"…"

"…"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" 'And same techniques.'

Each one of the fighters created ten clones. And they all rotated the hilt of their swords.

"Maware!"

"Inabikaru no arasi!"

An enormous storm of thunders covered the battle field, destroying copies on each sides. When the storm cleared, only the original ones were still there. Horaiken and Naruto, fighting each other.

'Only that… His amount of energy is literally infinite…'

"Naruto, this is not going to take you anywhere."

"… Answer to my question. My Ban-Kai… Will let me gain back my ninja abilities?"

"… No. It has nothing to do with chakra."

"… I knew it."

"But, there's a system to gain back your techniques while keeping your Reiatsu and Zanpakuto."

"!"

"One thing at time, Naruto."

"…"

"If you can't even gain Ban-Kai, you can forget on gaining back your techniques. Now, let's continue."

"… Aaaaaargh!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Aaaaaargh!"

Uncountable tries, uncountable times being rocketed away by the tornado. Hanatarou was making not so much progresses. Each time he rushed at the tornado he was launched back by the wind.

"Damn it…" 'I've only obtained scratches and bumps, till now.'

"Hanatarou, that's not the way."

"… Then, what the hell the way is!"

"…"

"AH! SORRY! GOMEN NASAI! I DIDN'T WANT TO OFFEND YOU, KAMAKAZE!"

"That's okay. I know that you're upset…"

"… Yes, I am… Because, we have time till noon."

"…"

"If we don't obtain Ban-Kai before that hour, Rukia-san will… Will…"

"… Hanatarou, to obtain Ban-Kai, you mustn't go against your own power. It's useless."

"Then, what can I do?"

"… What you usually do."

"…" 'What… I usually do?'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Marui Inazuma!"

"Marui Inazuma!"

Two enormous globular bolts hit each other, creating an explosion of electricity and light. Then, two figures rushed at each other, each one holding in hand a blue ball of energy.

"Rasengan!"

"Rasengan!"

Another explosion. The two got bumped back by the explosion, but while Horaiken was still on his feet, Naruto was on one knee. He was tired… Really tired.

"Anf… Anf…"

"That's useless, Naruto. You will never achieve Ban-Kai, if you go on like this."

"… Shut up! I'm going to defeat you!"

"… How?"

"… I don't know! But I'll find a way!"

"… Naruto, I'm stronger than you, right now."

"… I know."

"Now, what's the only way to beat me?"

"… To have greater power than you!"

"Exactly. Now, think about these words… And your past experience."

"…" 'My past… Experiences?'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was finally time for the execution. At the execution ground there were various Captains and Vice-Captain, Nemu included. Her orders had been to capture Naruto-san, and so there she was. But… The Soukyoku was being released, and there was still no sign of him.

'… Naruto-san, where are you? Are you going to let Rukia-chan die like this?'

"This is the Soukyoku. Once it pierces the body of the sentenced one, the execution is done."

'… According to what you said that time…'

_Flashback_

"_Can I ask you… Why were you so upset?"_

"_Uh?"_

"_You hit the ground with such violence that it's impossible for you to be calm, at this moment. But if it was rude…"_

"_No, no… It's not a big thing… … It's about the execution."_

"_The execution of Kuchiki Rukia?"_

"_Yes… She's one of my closest friends."_

"… _I'm sorry for you, but the law is law."_

"… _It was like this in my living world too…"_

"_?"_

"… _In my living world, ninja were only mere tools to the most of the people. Their lives meant nothing more than numbers… But life isn't something to play with. And punishing with death… To punish someone is meant to teach a lesson. If you die, what lesson can you learn?"_

"… _It's a strange point of view…"_

"_But don't you think that is a logical one?"_

"…"

"…"

"… _Probably."_

_End of the flashback_

'Now that I think about it… That time… I thought about the answer. I usually say what Mayuri-sama would say… … Why am I rethinking of that moment, by the way?'

And then… The Soukyoku transformed into the Kokyouku. An enormous bird made of fire. All the various Captains and Lieutenants were waiting for it to pierce trough Rukia's body. But… Suddenly, an enormous flash of light blinded all of them for a moment. When they got their sight back, the Kokyouku was immobile. The reason… Three figures, wearing Shinigami robes and three capes, were stopping it with their Zanpakutos. One had spiky orange hair. Another one had spiky blonde hair. The last one had long silky black hair.

"… Naruto-san… You've come."

"How… How is this possible?"

"They're blocking the Soukyouku… Which has the power of 1.000.000 of Zanpakutos…"

"With three single Zanpakutos!"

"…"

The most shocked one was Rukia. In front of her were Naruto, Hanatarou and Ichigo. Those baka… She had clearly said to them to run and not save her, but they still kept on trying. She wanted to shout…"

"Bakamono! You three…"

"Shut the hell up."

"Uh?"

"Rukia-san, we're not going away. So don't bother asking."

"Man, I know her only from a few months, but you probably know her from much more of me. What do you say, Naruto?"

"… She has always been like this."

"!"

"She always thinks of the others first… It's a good thing, but the problem is that she thinks of the others too much, and in the end she forgets to think about herself."

In the meanwhile, Ukitake had arrived. Him and Kyouraku had destroyed the Soukyoku. Then, Ichigo destroyed the cross of the Soukyoku and caught Rukia.

"Rukia-san… You're not alone."

"And we're no more so weak to get beaten from anyone down there…"

"So, relax. Baka. Hey! It's Renji, over there!"

"… Ichigo… You…"

"Ichigo-san, you can't possibly…"

"CATCH, RENJI!"

"YOU CRAZY BASTARD!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Ichigo had launched Rukia like a baseball. Renji had fortunately caught her. Naruto and Hanatarou sweatdropped, while Renji and Ichigo drabbled. Then, Ichigo convinced Renji on running away. But they noticed that the Vice-Captains, minus Nemu-san, were running after him.

"Ichigo-san… Naruto… It seems it's time." 'Man, I'm excited. What will they say of my Ban-Kai?'

"Yes. It's show-time, guys."

"Let's rock!"

At Naruto's last words, the three friends shunpoed in front of the three Vice-Captains. Naruto quickly used his Horaiken as a pivot and kicked the one with the moustaches straight in the chest. Ichigo punched the big one in the stomach, after destroying his Zanpakuto. While Hanatarou and Isane… Were immobile. Kiyone had released her Zanpakuto, but… She remembered of what happened the last time. His two friends had knocked out two Lieutenants without even using their Zanpakuto, and if Hanatarou was at their same level…

"It seems that you understand, Isane-san."

"… Are you really Hanatarou-kun?"

"… Yes, I am."

"Then… Why do I feel a Captain-level amount of Reiatsu coming out of your body?"

"… I… !"

"!"

Kuchiki Byakuka had hit Ichigo, and they began to go away from their previous battle location. In the meanwhile, Naruto was staring at the approaching figure of the last Vice-Captain. Kurotsuchi Nemu. She had already released her Zanpakuto, and suddenly, she split it into two different swords.

"… Nemu-san…"

"Naruto-san… It's time to resume our fight."

"… I was afraid of hearing that. But I think we should move from here."

"… As you wish."

Naruto and Nemu shunpoed away. Hanatarou and Isane fixed the place where they were before, but then they suddenly heard someone screaming. Kiyone. Isane's little sister. Soi Fong was trying to kill her.

"No! Kiyone!"

"…"

"Aaaaargh!"

"You're nothing but a traitor. But don't worry, because I'll… !"

Soi Fong had to move from her location, because various swords appeared out of nowhere, trying to slash her. She jumped away and landed on her feet, while the attacker moved towards her, the swords not disappearing, protecting Kiyone. The blond girl looked at her protector. Yamada Hanatarou.

"Soi Fong-taichou… I can't let you do that."

"… You're that guy from the 4th Division who led the drifters to the Senzakyuu…"

"Correct. I'm Yamada Hanatarou. 7th Seat of the 4th Division."

"7th Seat? And you hope to stop me? A Captain?"

"… No. That will be not my work."

"? … !"

Suddenly a flash of orange tackled Soi Fong and they both fell off the execution place. Hanatarou didn't move from his position, but he turned around to greet the new arrival.

"I shall take care of you, instead… Don't you think so, Komamura-taichou?"

The fox-headed captain had rushed to the execution place after sensing Yamamoto's Reiatsu. His cap was now gone, revealing his strange appearance. But Hanatarou didn't flinch or moved his body. He was… Of a glacial calm. Isane had never see Hanatarou like that.

"… Yamada Hanatarou, right?"

'What… Why is Hanatarou so confident?'

'This guy… Does nee-san… Know him?' "!"

Suddenly, behind Komamura, appeared his giant-like Ban-Kai. The ground trembled, and while Kiyone was terrorized, Isane noticed something. How could Hanatarou… Have made appear more blades other than the original one?

"… Move outta the way, Yamada-san. You're protecting two traitors."

"I'm sorry. I can't, Komamura-taichou."

Hanatarou removed the Sky Walking cap, and threw it away. Suddenly, the sky began to become dark. Cloud were obscuring the sun, and a strong wind began to blow.

'What's… What's happening?'

"Kiyone-chan is Isane-san little sister. If you kill her she would be sad."

"… Yamada-san, I'm a Captain. You should be aware of what the thing behind my back is."

"Yes, Komamura-taichou. That's your Ban-Kai.Kokujou Tengen Myou-Oh… Then, I shall show you…"

Hanatarou closed his eyes while the wind kept on growing in intensity. And he moved his Zanpakuto. The blade had reappeared and he had placed Kamakaze above him, and he had began to rotate it in a fast motion. Suddenly, the wind began to blow around him. And his Reiatsu began to grow. The ground trembled and began to crack.

"Yamada-san… Don't tell me…"

"… Hanatarou-kun… You couldn't have…"

"…"

_Flashback_

'_What I usually do…' "When I fight?"_

"_Yes, Hanatarou."_

'_When I fight… I usually morph my Kamakaze in air and vice versa…' "!"_

"… _You understood?"_

_Hanatarou began to understand. He slowly got up, observing the tornado. Then, he stretched both his hands in front of him. He began to emit Reiatsu, trying to do something. His Zanpakuto was made of air, and he could make it disappear and reappear everywhere because of that. So that meant… That it wasn't always the same air to become his Zanpakuto. His arms hurt like hell, while he morphed the tornado. Much more air than before. Suddenly, part of the tornado became three blades and dropped to the ground. Hanatarou retracted his arms, yelling in pain. He fixed his hands, but then got back on his feet. He walked forwards the tornado. Step after step, blade after blade, the tornado was fading away. Hanatarou's arms were bleeding, and the pain was huge. The wind was incredibly strong._

"… _AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"_

_With a final rush of Reiatsu, Hanatarou morphed the remaining tornado into three enormous blades. Then, he fell to the ground. But falling, he grabbed Kamakaze's yukata. The Zanpakuto was smiling at him._

"_You did it… Hanatarou."_

"… _Anf… Anf…"_

"_Now… Feel your new power… And use it well…"_

_The blades began air again, and Kamakaze as well became a sword again. The air began to enter Hanatarou's body…_

_End of the flashback_

"Ban-Kai."

Then, an enormous gust of wind erupted. The wind became a tornado, covering Hanatarou from the others' sight. The remaining body of the Soukyoku got destroyed. The unconscious body of Kentarou and Kiyone were hurled away from the force of the blow. They got fortunately caught by Isane and Captain Unohana, who were as well struggling to stay on their feet. Captain Komamura too, even with his enormous size, had to struggle against the wind. Then, the tornado began to fade away, slowly, and the sky to turn back to normal. When the tornado faded completely away… All the conscious audience was stupefied. And they all flushed. Yes, flushed. Hanatarou had changed… In an incredible way. He was no more wearing Shinigami robes, but a long silver yukata, tied on the waist by a big white belt. On each arm part of the yukata he had three little black horizontal stripes. He was now taller, at least 1,90 cm. His hair was now waist-length and shined of silver colour. His eyes were silver as well. His whole face and body… Was beautiful, refined, and no one could have deduced if he was a man or a woman, at first sight. Komamura, knowing that he was a man, quickly shook his head, while the women continued on staring, mouth wide-open. Then, Komamura noticed something strange. He held… A bladeless Zanpakuto. He had only the hilt in his hand. The hand protection part and the end of the hilt where both two white spheres, the first one big as an apple, the second one big as a walnut.

"Is this… Your Ban-Kai?"

"Yes…"

"…"

"… Ginnasora…"

"…"

"No Kamakaze."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto and Nemu had arrived at their chosen battle place. The lake of the nearby forest. They stared at each other, while the wind slowly moved the water. Then, they both suddenly turned in the direction of the execution place.

"… This Reiatsu…"

"Hanatarou has released his Ban-Kai, I think."

"… Then… You have probably obtained it as well, Naruto."

"… You guess right, Nemu-san."

Naruto lifted Horaiken high in the air with the right arm. The sky began to become dark once again, with dark grey clouds resounding with thunders. And Naruto's Reiatsu began to grow.

"… You know, Nemu-san… Hanatarou and me taught of a funny name for our couple of Zanpakutos…"

"What funny name, Naruto-san?"

_Flashback_

"_My past experience… Yes, I fought stronger guys a lot of times before, in my past life…"_

"_And how did you beat them?"_

"_I… With strategy, and…"_

"_No. Basically, how?"_

"… _I became… Stronger than them in one or more aspects for a few seconds…"_

"… _And you could do it safe and sound?"_

"_Of course not! I always risked my life, to… !"_

"… _You're a quick learner, then."_

"…" '_That's it…'_

_Naruto finally understood. This training had not the purpose of beating Horaiken… But to achieve Ban-Kai. An enormous power. And each power, comes with risk. The risk of controlling it. The risk of being overwhelmed by it. That was the same. His Horaiken… Contained the power that he needed. But at the same time, a seal limited it and protected Naruto from it. And that seal was… Naruto grabbed the spiked hand protecting part of the blade with his free hand. He began to pull it, pull it, pull it… Till… He ripped it off with an enormous demonstration of strength, and then, he crushed it. Suddenly from it exited an enormous bolt, which rotated high in the air and then struck Naruto._

"… _That's it Naruto."_

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"_

"_Now, try to not die. Don't fight against this power…"_

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH…"_

"_Accept it."_

_End of the flashback_

"The bladeless Zanpakutos."

"?"

"Ban-Kai!"

Two thunders suddenly struck down from the sky. They began to rotate in opposite sense, around a certain area, more and more stretch, till… The hit Naruto's body. Naruto's body began to glow with yellow light, and then he let out an enormous flash of light of the same colour. Neku didn't cover her eyes, but instead she looked at Naruto's transformation. When the light faded away, Naruto was different. His hair were much longer, and all pointed to the sky, except for a single bang of hair dropping in front on his right eye ( Super Sayan like ). He was wearing the upper pieces of his Shinigami robes with the usual white fabric belt, but under a red samurai armour that covered his chest only. Instead of the lower piece of the Shinigami robes, he was wearing a pair of shinobi pants, a pair of bandages covering his ankles and a pair of shinobi shoes on his usual white socks. In his hand he was holding his Zanpakuto. It was very strange. It didn't have a blade, and the hand covering part had this strange shape: an horizontal rectangle and two little isosceles triangles attacked by the top angles at the rectangle. The end of the hilt was another little triangle, with attacked a chain with a little lighting-shaped object. The entire thing was made of gold.

"Raitei no Horaiken."

"… It doesn't have a blade… Does it have something with your Ban-Kai's power?"

"Yes… But now… What about you show me your Ban-Kai, Nemu-san?"

"… So, be it."

Nemu's swords began to glow one of white and the other one of black light. She closed her eyes and crossed them in front of her. Her Reiatsu kept on growing like the last time, but when that time Naruto got paralyzed, now he was observing carefully the release, not being affected by the grow of the Ban-Kai.

"…"

"… Ban-Kai."

_Continue…_

_In the next chapter…_

Battles, battles and more battles! You'll witness the power of Naruto, Hanatarou, Nemu and Komamura! Stay tuned, folks!

**Ginnasora no Kamakaze: **Scythe wind of the silver sky

**On-Line pic's url: **img95 dot imageshack dot us slash img95 slash 9041 slash ginnasorakamakaze7lp dot jpg

**Raitei no Horaiken:** Lightning sword of the thunder's lord

**On-Line pic's url:** img95 dot imageshack dot us slash img95 slash 735 slash raiteinohoraiken3od dot jpg

**SORRY IF THE DRAWING SUCKS!**


	13. Full control

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

OOOOOOOOOK! Finally, here's the Ban-Kai showdown! Let's see how Naruto and Hanatarou will cope with their enemies! Nemu and Komamura! Ah, yes! I have yet to make Nemu's Ban-Kai appear! Well, here it is! Enjoy! But the reviews come first!

**Logger456:** STOP READING MY MIND! XD And I have something planned that will allow Hanatarou to have even more charm… Muahahahahah!

**Miyata:** That's not Dragonball. That's a particular of all mangas. You can't always write fighting scenes, dude.

**demon-sword:** No hollow thing for Naruto, sorry… But he has something different from normal Shinigami too. For his old friends, Kiba and Sakura are preparing in the backstage.

"… _It doesn't have a blade… Does it have something with your Ban-Kai's power?"_

"_Yes… But now… What about you show me your Ban-Kai, Nemu-san?"_

"… _So, be it."_

"…"

"… _Ban-Kai."_

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter13: Full control**

The light from the swords of Nemu began to become more intense, almost blinding Naruto. Nemu began to glow with those lights as well. Naruto could only see her silhouette. And he noticed that the girl was changing. Her clothes were becoming longer, her hair were floating in the air, now loose from the ponytail, and from her shoulders… From her shoulders were growing two enormous things. She released her two Zanpakutos and they began to float in the air, at her sides. When the light faded away, Naruto was… Very impressed, to say the least. Nemu was now wearing a long dress that covered all her body, revealing only the head and the tip of her fingers. The dress was alternatively black and white. But the most surprising things were the two wings on her back: a white bat wing and a black bird wing. Her Zanpakutos were floating in front of her, one completely black, the other one completely white.

"… Kami-sama…"

"Hikarioni Kagetensi."

"… Well, an impressive transformation. Now, we should test its power…"

"… As you wish…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to Hanatarou, the blushing women and the confused Captain Komamura. A Ban-Kai… Without a blade?

"… Impossible."

"What's impossible, Komamura-taichou?"

"The thing you're holding in hand… It's to small to be a Ban-Kai. Stop this bluff and move away. And, Lieutenant Isane, hand over the traitor."

"…"

No response. The women were like hypnotized by Hanatarou. Hanatarou closed his eyes, like focusing. Suddenly he said.

"Unohana-taichou."

"Ah! Yes?"

"Please, take Kiyone-chan and Isane-san away, along with all the injured people. Kiyone-chan needs the most cures. You will not be blamed about it, because curing injured people is a must, for 4th Division."

"… Yes."

Unohana activated her Shikai, Minazuki. The enormous thing swallowed all the injured people and flew away with them. Hanatarou had still his eyes closed, then he raised the arm holding his sword, maintaining it stretched horizontally at his side.

"… Good plan. Yes, Unohana-taichou can't be blamed, but that blonde girl and all of you traitors will be condemned to death penalty."

"…"

"… And I'll execute your penalty right here!"

Komamura moved his arm and his enormous Ban-Kai, following his movements, directed the enormous sword towards Hanatarou, who still had his eyes closed. Then, the blade hit. Even the air moved was enough to make the ground crack and to lift an enormous amount of dust. But, the dust was fading away immediately.

'… What the…' "!"

The enormous blade of Komamura's Ban-Kai had been stopped. From the hilt of Hanatarou's blade… Was coming out a little tornado. The tornado exited the hilt and rotated around Hanatarou, protecting him and stopping the hit of Komamura. The noise it made was the noise of the wind rushing trough a canyon, like some sort of powerful whistle. Hanatarou still had his eyes closed.

"…" 'What's… What's this?'

"Komamura-taichou… Have you ever been able to cut the air?"

"… Of course not."

"…"

Hanatarou opened his eyes.

"Then you'll not be able to defeat my Ban-Kai."

"!"

Hanatarou moved the hilt and the tornado moved with him. It moved away the enormous blade of the Tengen, and it lengthened. It hit Komamura straight in the chest, making him jump high in the air. Then Hanatarou moved his hilt another time. The tornado grabbed Komamura like a lazo, and slammed him in the ground with enough power to create a crater of various meters. The Tenge, following the motions of Komamura, fell on the ground below. It was like an earthquake. The tornado release Komamura and stretched back. Out of Hanatarou's hilt was now exiting a little tornado no more long than two meters, resembling a blade.

"There is a reason if my Ban-Kai and Naruto's Ban-Kai have no blade."

"…"

"!"

Suddenly the enormous blade of the Tengen appeared in sight, and quick as a flash slammed itself into the peak where the Senzakyuu was and destroyed it releasing an enormous amount of Reiatsu. Hanatarou jumped away, but he began to fall towards the forest below.

"And there is a reason if I'm a captain."

"!"

Komamura was on top of his own Ban-Kai, and moving his hands the Ban-Kai was trying to pierce Hanatarou in the air too. Hanatarou quickly moved his Kamakaze and the tornado enveloped him, and he began to fall to the ground at Mach5. At the last moment, he released the tornado, destroying a good part of the forest. He landed peacefully in the new clearing, the giant approaching. The earth was shaking at each stomp.

"Impressive… For someone from the 4th Division. I believed that you were only good with healing."

"… Don't underestimate me, Captain Komamura."

"!"

Hanatarou swung his sword, and eight enormous tornado appeared and began to rotate around the Tenge with captain Komamura on. They began to approach it more and more.

"Without us from the 4th Division, I don't know how much Shinigami would have died, in the past."

"…" 'This power… This is really…'

"Kaze no Bara."

The eight tornados, all at once, hit Komamura and his giant Ban-Kai. The wind expanded himself and wiped out half of the forest, forming a huge crater. The Ban-Kai got destroyed and Komamura was propelled up in the air. Hanatarou slowly turned towards him, while he was falling to the ground, blood coming out from various wounds.

"I repeat. There's a reason because my Kamakaze and Naruto's Horaiken don't have any blade."

"…"

Komamura fell to the ground, protecting his body with Reiatsu. Hanatarou walked towards him, his Kamakaze back to the sealed form. He placed it inside his sheath, but… His body was still beautiful as before.

'The side-effects… My body is stuck in this form for fifteen days each time I use Ban-Kai.' "Normally, elemental Zanpakutos such as Hitsugaya-taichou's Hyourinmaru only borrow the elements' power. But our swords are different."

"…"

"We have full control on wind and thunder."

"… I… Understand…"

"I managed to defeat you easily because I see that you were already worn out. You were fighting against Zaraki Kenpachi, after all. It couldn't be helped."

"…"

Hanatarou's hands began to glow with Reiatsu, and then he started healing Komamura's wounds. Komamura, at this point, was really confused.

"Why… Are you… Healing me?"

"I don't want anyone to die, Komamura-taichou. I just want to save Rukia-san. Nothing more, nothing less."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While Hanatarou triumphed on Komamura easily because of his lack of energy, Naruto was about to fight Nemu at full power and force, her Ban-Kai activated. The two opponents fixed each other, while the wind lifted leaves from the ground… When the last one fell to the ground, the two opponents rushed at each other. The clash sent shock-wave all over the surface of the lake. Nemu was curious about the hilt-only Naruto's Ban-Kai… But her curiosity got satisfied when she saw Naruto parrying her twin blades with a blade made of pure lighting. A bolt in the shape of a blade, at the point that she could feel the heat on her skin.

"So, this is your power…"

"Yes… But it doesn't end here."

"!"

Suddenly the bolt changed shape. With an incredible speed, it lengthened and enlarged, acquiring the form of a snake or a dragon. Nemu couldn't really tell.

"Rairyuuendan!"

The lightning, then, charged at her like it was alive. Thanks to her wings, Nemu backed away and then she flew out of the dragon's road. But the dragon simply turned its way and followed her in the air.

'… He has its own will…'

Nemu flew as fast as she could, but she couldn't manage to make the dragon hit something or to make him extend to its maximum limit, which seemed inexistent. Naruto was looking at her, and he was simply holding the hilt of his Ban-Kai in his hands. The dragon was doing all on his own.

"… I suppose there's no other way."

Nemu suddenly stopped into the air, and moved her hands slightly. Her twins swords floated and positioned themselves above Nemu, like a pair of horns.

"Guree zyuuzika."

The two swords slashed right in front of her at the same time, releasing one black and one white burst of Reiatsu. They joined and formed a grey cross, which clashed against the bolt dragon. An enormous explosion blew up in the sky. The bolt stretched and returned in the form of a blade on the hilt of Naruto.

"Uhm… An impressive rough power."

From the enormous cloud of smoke Nemu descended using her wing, gracefully as an angel.

"… Your Ban-Kai is really impressive, Naruto-san."

"Thanks… And what about you? Do you enjoy fighting?"

"… I don't like hurting other people when I don't want to."

"But you like wielding your sword?"

"… Yes. Since the time I was born, my sword has been my only friend."

"… That's why that Kurotsuchi-bastard took it away from you."

"! No! That's not true! He said… That I still wasn't able to control my power, and that I could get hurt or unwillingly hurt someone!"

"… Bullshit! You're controlling it perfectly, now! He took away your Zanpakuto from you because he was afraid that you could develop feelings, while he wanted a perfect killing machine!"

"… SHUT UP!"

"!"

Nemu flew towards Naruto, with the enormous speed of her wings. Naruto noticed that he had never thought she would ever see in Nemu's eyes… Fury.

'Yes… The truth hurts. When you don't accept it, you scream and get enraged… And when you accept it…'

_Flashback_

"_I'll say it one more time, Naruto…"_

"…"_  
_

"_I will kill you."_

_End of the flashback_

Nemu moved her hands at an incredibly quick pace, and the swords moved as well. Naruto reacted, blocking every attack. But then the black sword almost cut his left side.

'Fighting two swords at time that seems to be like manoeuvred by two different opponents… Sure it's though.' "Nobiro!"

"!"

Horaiken lengthened himself one more time, becoming like a whip. At lightning speed ( XD ) it wrapped itself around the twin swords of Nemu. Blocking their attack. Nemu tried to move her hands, but as the swords were blocked, as well were her hands. She could move them only in a restricted space.

"… Dammit…"

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

"!"

"That man it's not your father. He doesn't deserve that title."

"… SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"!"

Suddenly, Nemu grabbed her swords with her hands, and she managed to free her swords from Naruto's grasp, breaking the blade. And then she lifted them in the same position of before.

'If I touch the swords, I can increase my strength two folds!' "Guree zyuuzika!"

'Damn it!' "Shokku!"

While Nemu unleashed another silver cross, Naruto made his blade explode in hundreds of little thunders. When the techniques clashed, an enormous explosion blew up, hitting both of the fighters. Nemu stopped in midair thanks to her wings, while Naruto… Stopped on the surface of the water. They both were panting and had blood trailing on their faces. Nemu searched for a particular artefact, but she couldn't find it.

"… How… How can you walk on water without a demonic artefact?"

"… It's… A little trick… I learned back in life…"

"! But… How could you use a technique based on chakra when you have nothing but Reiatsu?"

"… Yes, I couldn't use it in the living world… Because it has no effect on real things. But all, in Soul Society is made of spiritrons. So, my water walking technique, if used with Reiatsu, has effect. But I still have to find a way to perform my other techniques."

"?"

Naruto placed his blade horizontally in front of him, and the tip of the blade transformed into an enormous ball of lightning. Then, the ball separated itself from the blade, and started to change shape. It assumed the shape… Of Naruto in his Ban-Kai form holding his sword.

"Eheh… But I found a way to emulate at least one of them in some ways. I call this the Rai bunshin no Jutsu."

"… Understood. But don't believe it's a great thing, Naruto-san."

"?"

"Wakarero, Hikarioni Kagetensi."

"!"

Suddenly, Naruto thought that he was having hallucinations. He was seeing like… Two Nemu one in front of the other. But it wasn't a hallucination. Nemu had really split into two distinct selves. One with bat wings, but with the dress, swords and hair completely white. The other one with angel wings, but with the dress, swords and hair completely black.

"…" 'Damn… This girl is a continue surprise.'

"This is another special ability of my Ban-Kai."

"Zigokutatengoku no Hutago."

"… Well… Then, bring it on."

"It's thanks to Kurotsuchi-sama that I'm so strong…"

"Stronger than him?"

"?"

"Answer this question. Are you stronger than him?"

"… Maybe… Probably."

"Then, why don't you detach yourself from that bastard?"

"!"

"He treats you like shit. Because of him, you can't carry around your Zanpakuto, and nobody in the Soul Society knows that you can do Ban-Kai. He's not a father. He seems more like a Jailer."

"STOP THIS NONSENSE!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

The two Nemu rushed at Naruto and his copy. Their hits were incredibly strong for a female Shinigami. She reminded Naruto of Tsunade. But Naruto was as strong as her. He immediately reacted. They alternated their attacks, incredibly quick and strong. Waves were rippling the water at each strike, due to the strength of their attacks. Suddenly, the four opponents raised their swords high in the air, and they all clashed at each other with all their might. This time the water remained calm… For a moment. Then, the lake under them moved away. Moved. Literally. Under their feet there was now earth, because the lake transformed into an enormous tidal wave that destroyed a good part of the forest. And a figure followed the wave. A figure with blonde hair, while his copy made of lightning disappeared.

'Damn it… My copy doesn't have my same power, like her one does… I wish I could still do the Kage Bunshin…'

Naruto landed on a tree, breaking it in two halves. Then he was on the ground, panting. Two winged figures were in the sky, searching for him, to land on them the final blow.

"…" 'How many kind of desperate people have I met, till now?'

_Flashback_

"_My dream is to achieve the ambition of that man…"_

"_I'm going to Orochimaru. He will give me the power I need."_

"_I exist to kill everyone other than me. Till I'll have people to kill, my life will keep on having a meaning."_

_End of the flashback_

'Nemu… Giving all her power to defend the ambitions of a man that she thinks she must obey… Not because that person took her in, or defended him… But because he gave her life…'

The two Nemu landed in front of Naruto, holding their swords. Naruto was still silent on the ground… Then, he spoke.

"Nemu-san… Are you that devoted to Kurotsuchi?"

"Yes. He gave me life. And for this, I'm grateful to him."

"And for this, I shall respect him and obey all his orders."

"… Bullshit."

"What?"

Naruto reformed his sword, and he was slowly getting up. Only that… From his body were coming out hundreds of little bolts. Blue bolts. And he was emitting a strange sound… Like the sound of thousands of birds chirping.

'What… What's this sound?'

'All those bolts… Produce this sound?'

"Respect is something that needs to be earned… Like trust. That's a lesson I learned here. But when I lived, I learned another thing."

The blue bolts were completely surrounding Naruto, and suddenly they began to envelope him. Even the bolt that was his blade had changed colour. In thirty seconds, he was enveloped by a full armour made of blue bolts. The only part of his body that wasn't covered in bolts was the head.

"What's this form?"

"I called this form of my Ban-Kai… Chidori. Because of the noises." 'And in dedication to an old friend.'

_Flashback_

"_Blue… Blue bolts?"_

_Before going, Horaiken had showed Naruto the ultimate form of his Ban-Kai. An armour of blue bolts._

"_Yes. This is the final form of your Ban-Kai."_

"_Eheheh… If Sasuke could see me… I think that I'll call it Chidori."_

"_The name's that."_

"_What! Really!"_

"_Really. Now, listen. This armour has a very dangerous effect on your body, because it's connected with your Reiatsu system."_

"_Ok."_

"_Usually, the body uses electric impulses to communicate. Now, what if you replace those impulses with more fast things?"_

"_You mean… The bolts?"_

"_Yes. When you're in this state, your speed strength and reflexes increase dramatically. But since there's the risk of burning your Reiatsu system, it has a time limit that I will not allow you to break if not in exceptional cases."_

"_How much?"_

"_For now, ten minutes."_

_End of the flashback_

"Now… Let's resume our fighting."

"… I don't know what your power is, now…"

"But there's no way I can lose, using the power given to me by Mayu… !"

Nemu couldn't finish Mayuri because in a flash Naruto was behind her. His sword had enveloped both of the twins and tied them together. Suddenly the two screamed, as electricity was running trough their bodies.

"And it doesn't end here!"

Naruto began to rotate on himself, and he slammed the two twins in a tree. But he didn't stop. Naruto kept on rotating, lengthening the Horaiken meanwhile, making Nemu destroying more and more trees on her way. Then, he suddenly let go the two twins, and they slammed into the ground with enormous power. Naruto looked into the direction where he had slammed his enemies. The twin Nemu were bleeding from various cuts, and their clothes were worn out. They were panting, using their swords as supports to stand.

"Is this the power that bastard gave you?"

"… Don't get… Cocky…"

"I still have… Another ability…"

"… Then bring it on. I'll defeat you and then I'll tell you what I learnt back in my living world."

"… Fusion."

"!"

The two Nemu crossed their swords, and this time a flash of light blinded Naruto. When he reopened his eyes, Naruto saw a single Nemu… But with her hair, two swords, one dress, a pair of bat wings and a pair of bird wings and her dress completely grey.

"Guree Kagetensi Hikarioni."

Then, her swords got enveloped by grey aura, and her wings became enormous, long meters. The ground was shaking and a strong wind was blowing because of the Reiatsu she was emitting. Naruto stood there impassive. Then he placed his right arm, the one with the hilt in his hand, vertically in front of him, and he grabbed the wrist with the left hand. Suddenly, the entire arm gote enveloped by a blue bolt and the chirping noise got even more louder. Naruto's arm was enveloped by an enormous amount of blue bolts, at the point that his arm looked big as Nemu's wings.

"Final technique of the Chidori style… Oodama Chidori."

"… And I will show you my final technique… Hontoo no guree zyuuuzika."

"…"

"…"

Suddenly, the two of them rushed at each other. Nemu slashed in front of her as Naruto trusted his arm forward. When the two clashed a metallic blue light erupted… And then an enormous explosion. Another good part of the forest got wiped out. ( God, with Yoruichi, Hanatarou and Naruto fighting that forest was doomed from the beginning! XD ) Various thunders flew even farther from the point of clashing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hanatarou had just finished healing Komamura when he noticed Naruto's Reiatsu at its maximum power and the various bolts coming out from far away.

"It seems that Naruto had to go all out on Nemu-san…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the explosion died, the place of clashing was a burned desert. In the burned clearing stood two figures. One with his Ban-Kai still activated, even if in its basic form. The other one with her Zanpakuto in one hand, in its sealed form. Both were bleeding a lot, but the winner was clear. And it became even clearer when Nemu fell to the ground, tears in her eyes. Naruto slowly turned around, and then he began to walk towards her.

"Please… Give me the final blow."

"…"

"I failed… Mayuri-sama… Will not ever forgive me…"

"… That's good."

"!"

"When we are born, we get a name that we can't cancel and looks and a mentality that we can't change… But in return we get something better."

"…"

"Freedom. Freedom to live, to decide with our head. Freedom to try dangerous things, to love and even to make mistakes. That's a thing that no one can take away from us."

"…" 'Freedom…'

"When he created you, he didn't want to give you freedom, but each living being has it from the day he is born. If you want to respect him that's good for me. But you can't let him take away your freedom."

"…"

"And I will not let you, neither… !"

"!"

Naruto and Nemu had just have been contacted by Isane. She explained to them all the Aizen thing… Naruto was shocked.

"Rukia… Rukia is in danger!"

_Continue…_

_In the next chapter…_

After Aizen leaves, the soul society returns to its normal life… Or maybe not. Especially Hanatarou's life is a lot different, now. XD And there's a surprise. Stay tuned!


	14. What we need is

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

Ok! Finally, it ends the Rukia-save saga! Let's how Hanatarou and Naruto will deal with other and new things! There's a surprise for them! The reviews and enjoy!

**Tokyo no Ecchi:** Ops. My error. It was meant to be Ooikii Chidori.

"_And I will not let you, neither… !"_

"_!"_

"_Rukia… Rukia is in danger!"_

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter14: What we need is…**

"Your part is over now… Uh?"

"Rukia-san!"

"!"

"!"

"!"

"!"

"!"

Aizen had just cut Ichigo, leaving him opened like a fish on the ground. All the hopes seemed lost, when another Shinigami appeared. A beautiful man with silver hair, holding in his right hand only the hilt of a Zanpakuto.

"! Hana… Tarou…"

"Hanatarou…"

"! Hanatarou!"

"… And who could you be?"

"My, my, my… They keep on sprouting like rats… My apologies, Aizen-taichou. I had no idea that other than this Ryoka and Na…"

"Rukia!"

"… Ruto-kun…"

And in that moment, also Naruto had appeared, and he was wielding a hilt too. Aizen was a little confused, him out of all people.

"Those hilts… Are those your Ban-Kai forms?"

"You bastard! You deceived all of us!"

"Aizen-taichou, why did you do all of this!"

"… Aizen, do you want me to…"

"No, Tousen. After all, you had already a bit of fun with Kenpachi. The Ryoka and Abarai-kun weren't at their full power… But these ones seem fun to fight."

"…"

"…"

Hanatarou and Naruto activated their Ban-Kai at the same time, forming a blade of thunder and one of air. Aizen didn't even flinch, while he newly unsheathed his Zanpakuto.

"Oh. An air Ban-Kai? That's a first… I've never seen anyone able to develop it, since air it's the most difficult element to control. And thunder… I've never heard of a completely thunder based Zanpakuto."

"Tsk… Naruto! Hanatarou! This guy is terribly strong! You must go all out on him if you want to stand a chance!"

"Bakayaro! Don't shout when in your situation!"

"Ichigo-san! You'll only get your situation strong!"

"They're right, Ryoka. You should stay down."

"… Hanatarou, if what Ichigo said is true… We should do that thing."

"That? But we haven't even tried it…"

"Ichigo isn't stupid. And after all, if two captains are his subordinate, there must be a reason."

"… Yes."

"So, let's go!"

"!"

Suddenly Naruto and Hanatarou let out all of their Reiatsu. The thunder and the tornado coming out of their hilts had become the size of Komamura's giant. Aizen observed them really interested. Then, they moved their blade so that the two techniques crossed. The tornado absorbed the bolt and stared to make it rotate inside itself. Soon, the combined technique acquired a golden color.

"Oh… Impressive."

"Combined technique!"

"Ookii Kinna Kaiten!"

The enormous golden tornado rushed towards Aizen, burning the ground on its path. Aizen was still immobile.

"An incredibly strong attack… Really incredible."

"!"

"!"

Aizen swung his sword vertically in front of him… And he cut the tornado in two halves, that disappeared soon after. Hanatarou and Naruto didn't have the time to be neither stunned, because something cut their stomachs open like Ichigo's one.

"Gaaah!"

"Aaaargh!"

"I can't believe that I actually had to use my sword to dispel it."

Hanatarou and Ichigo fell to the ground, bleeding. They couldn't move. In the meanwhile, Aizen had begun the explanation about the Shinigami-Hollow hybrid, Hanatarou was healing his wounds, slowly.

'There will surely be an opening… Because they don't know of my ability.'

"…" 'Hanatarou… We're counting on you.'

'You're the only one who can save Rukia…'

'Be fast… And strong…'

Suddenly, Hanatarou panicked. He had almost finished healing, when Aizen extracted what he wanted from Rukia's body. She was still alive, but he was about to kill her. Hanatarou had finished his healing, and in a flash he got up. His sword already charging energy.

"!"

"Ooooooooooah!"

Aizen didn't have the time to react, because he had completely dropped his guard down to do the ritual and because he believed all his opponents done for. So, Hanatarou hit him straight in the chest. He flew away and crashed into the ground, making a huge crater. But Hanatarou didn't end there his attack.

"! Aizen-taichou!"

"Aizen!"

"Kaze no Bara!"

The eight tornado hit Aizen in his landing place fair and straight. Hanatarou had used all the Reiatsu he could use to make them as fast and powerful as possible. He landed, sure of having won.

"Aizen-taichou!"

"I can't believe it…"

"Anf… Anf…"

'He did it!'

'Good work, Hanatarou!'

'A guy from the fourth division… I need to train more.'

"He managed to hit Aizen…"

"Mymymy… Now things are gonna get messy."

"? Only… Hit?"

Suddenly, Hanatarou saw a figure standing in the middle of the crater. The dust flew away, revealing Aizen, with blood coming out of his forehead… But still on his feet.

"!" 'It can't be!'

"… What's your full name, Hanatarou?"

"… Yamada. Yamada Hanatarou."

"… Yamada… I see. It was logical, after all… There's no more doubt about it."

"!"

Hanatarou saw a blur big as a fly passing behind him. It was too late.

"You're the son of that irritating bastard."

"!"

Hanatarou felt a blade cutting separating his right shoulder from the rest of the body. He began to get unconscious, while his friends screamed his name. He didn't ever notice all the captains, vice-captains and so arriving, because he had a single thought in mind… He had never met his parents. He was an orphan taken in by Unohana-taichou.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_It was a rainy day in Est Rukongai, 59 district. A child was running trough the streets, searching for a place where to take shelter from the rain. He hid in a alley, against the wall. But suddenly, he slipped off._

"_Ahi! … Ahhh… My knee…"_

_He looked at his knee. A brush, with blood coming out of it._

"_I suppose I'll do that thing… But I always get hungry, doing that."_

_Suddenly, Hanatarou's hand got enveloped in Reiatsu. He place his hand on his knee and the injure began to heal._

"_Uff… Now I'm hungry… But normal souls don't get hungry. Why I do, instead?"_

"_That's because you have spirit power."_

"_!"_

_Hanatarou turned around, and he thought he saw an angel. In front of him was a beautiful young woman, wearing a Shinigami uniform and a lieutenant arm-band on his right arm. She was holding an umbrella._

"_Sp-Spirit power?"_

"_Only people who can use that can become Shinigami. And not only that, you're able to actually use healing abilities at such young age, one of the most difficult ability, for a Shinigami."_

"…"

"_Doesn't your parents know anything about it?"_

"… _I don't have parents…"_

"_!"_

"_I… I grew up alone since I can remember…" _

"… _Come with me."_

"_Eh?"_

"_I said, come with me. It's raining. I'll take you to the Sereitei. It would be a waste to not develop your power."_

"…"_  
_

_While Hanatarou approached the mysterious woman, he was thinking this. If before he had doubts, now he was absolutely sure of it. This woman was an angel. She placed a hand on Hanatarou's head. Hanatarou closed his eyes, enjoying the warm feeling she was transmitting to him. He felt protected… Happy…_

"_What's your name?"_

"… _Yamada. Yamada Hanatarou."_

"_Hanatarou… It's easy to remember."_

"_Eheh… Thanks."_

"_I'm Unohana Retsu. 4th Division's Fukutaichou."_

"… Nice… To meet ya…"

"We already know each other, Hanatarou."

"!"

Hanatarou quickly raised his torso, moving away his covers. He found himself seating in a bed, in the 4th Division's hospital. In the same room as him, there was Unohana Retsu seating on a chair.

"U-Unohana-taichou…"

"You're up, finally. You've been asleep for ten days, you know."

"Ten… Ten days …"

"And you know how I want you to call me when we're alone…"

"… Yes. Sorry, okaasan. ( Mom. )"

"Very well, Hanatarou."

"… What about the others? And Rukia?"

"They're alright. You were the one most injured. It seemed that Aizen had some… Personal grudge against you. It was probably because you managed to injure him."

"…" 'Aizen… Those words…'

_Flashback_

"_You're the son of that irritating bastard."_

_End of the flashback_

'Aizen… Knew my real father… And he held a grudge against him? Why?'

"By the way, your situation has been cleared. The Ryoka had returned to the living world, and you are no more considered as traitors. Kuchiki Rukia, by the way, has decided to stay here. And your health is fine. You can go out."

"Ah… That's good. Thanks, okaasan."

Hanatarou got up from his bed and put his bare feet on the floor. He then placed them into his sandals, and approached the door. Unohana was looking at him smiling, when suddenly she remembered of something crucial.

"Ah! HANATAROU, DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR!"

"Eh?"

"KYAAAAA! HANATAROU-KUN!"

Too late. A bunch of rabid girls dressed as nurses from the 4th Division had entered the room and was now surrounding Hanatarou. The boy panicked.

"You're finally awake, Hanatarou-kun!"

"How are you feeling! You've been asleep a whole week!"

"Would you like something to eat!"

"W-W-W-What's happening! Who are these girls, ok… Unohana-taichou?"

"… Your fangirls. Among the nurses only. We managed to restrain the others from entering the hospital."

"F-F-F-F-F-FANGIRLS!"

"Kiyone, Isane's sister, spread the word about your new appearance. She even took photos of your sleeping form and made hundreds of copy of them. Almost half of the Seiretei's female population is nuts over you, Hanatarou."

"WHAT!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"WHERE ARE YOU, NARUTO!"

Naruto was hiding from his stalker, Zaraki Kenpachi. His Captain wanted a sparring match with him now that he had developed Ban-Kai and he finally was a more than worth opponent. Hiding in a bush. Zaraki had just flew away, following the wrong directions of Yachiru, who was stalking him as well.

"Pheew… Lucky. Uh?"

Naruto got out of the bushes only to see… Hanatarou running away from an enormous cloud of dust.

"NARUTO! OUTTA THE WAY!"

"HANATAROU! IT SEEMS THAT YOU'VE MET YOUR FANGIRLS!"

And they both kept on running for their lives. Suddenly, Rangiku appeared at their side.

"Good morning, Naruto-san. Hanatarou-san."

"G-Good morning, Rangiku fukutaichou."

"Morning!"

"Uhm… Those photos don't give you justice, Hanatarou-san. You're hotter in flesh and bones."

"PLEASE, RANGIKU-FUKUTAICHOU! NOT YOU TOO!"

"Don't mistake me with one of those fools behind there! I don't go stalking men. When I'll want to go out with you, I'll say it straight and fair."

"Oh, man…"

"YOU FORTUNATE BASTARD!"

"About serious things, now. There's a special meeting planned in about an hour. All the Taichou, Fukutaichou along with you two and Kuchiki Rukia must be there."

"Ok… We must first get changed, then."

"See ya later, Rangiku-chan."

And the three of them shunpoed away, leaving a sad bunch of rabid fangirls.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Welcome, Uzumaki Naruto and Yamada Hanatarou."

Naruto and Hanatarou had reached the master commander's place. All the captains and vice-captains were already there, as well as Rukia ( I'm including Kiyone and his companion ). And when they noticed Hanatarou, all the females in the room flushed, except Nemu, Rangiku and Unohana, of course. Naruto and Hanatarou bowed in front of all the room and then got up.

"We're honoured, Yamamoto-sama."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Well, well, well… So you're the two boys who parted the Ryoka and made such a fuss in the Seiretei…"

"W-We're terribly sorry, Yamamoto-sama!"

"But we wanted to save Kuchiki Rukia! So, we had no choice!"

"I know, I know… We will not punish you, don't worry. Otherwise I'd have to punish half of the people in this room."

Hearing this, Zaraki and Kyouraku snickered and Ukitake and Yachiru smiled, while the others remained silent.

"Arigato osaimash!"

"We've called you here for another reason."

"Please, tell us, Yamamoto-sama."

"Please."

"Well… The last events damaged the Sereitei. The 46 Central have been wiped out, and some places of the Sereitei had been damaged. Especially the forest."

"Ehm…"

"That…"

"But, the most important thing is… That Aizen, Ichimaru and Tousen have leaved three vacant places as captain."

"!"

"!"

"From what we heard from the Ryoka and the Shinigami who fought you, you both are able to do Ban-Kai. Is that correct?"

"… Yes, it is."

"Yes."

"Then, would you please show them to us?"

"…"

"…"

"… Ban-Kai! Raitei no Horaiken!"

"Ban-Kai! Ginnasora no Kamakaze!"

The two boys activated their Ban-Kai in front of all the people who were in the room. After thirty seconds, Yamamoto made sign to them to deactivate them.

"Very well… You really have the power we need."

"… Yamamoto-sama…"

"You mean…"

"Congratulations, Gosandai taichou, Uzumaki Naruto ( 5th Division's captain ) and Kyuusandai taichou Yamada Hanatarou."

Hanatarou and Naruto stared at Yamamoto-sama for some seconds, then at each other and the newly at Yamamoto-sama, before bowing so much that they almost hit the floor with their heads.

"… It's a great honour!"

"We're honoured!"

And suddenly, the entire audience began to clap… No. Not everyone. Hinamori was not clapping, and neither Mayuri was. Naruto noticed this, and a devious idea crossed his mind.

"Excuse me, Yamamoto-sama…"

"Yes?"

"The captains who left were three, and we are only two, right? We need one more captain…"

"… Yes. But we don't know anyone who can use Ban-Kai other than you who isn't a captain."

"I know of a person. That's Kurotsuchi Nemu, 12th Division's Fukutaichou."

"!"

"!"

"!"

All the eyes in the room turned towards Nemu, who was blushing. Mayuri, in the meanwhile, was glaring at Naruto.

"Nemu-san, is this true?"

"Ehh… I…"

"That's bullshit! This useless whore doesn't know how to do the simplest tasks, figures how to use Ban-Kai!"

Then… Something inside Nemu flinched. And he remembered Naruto's words.

_Flashback_

"_Freedom. Freedom to live, to decide with our head. Freedom to try dangerous things, to love and even to make mistakes. That's a thing that no one can take away from us."_

_End of the flashback_

"… Yes, it's true!"

"! You…"

"Calm down, Mayuri. Nemu, please, demonstrate it in front of us."

Nemu walked towards the centre of the room, and unsheathed her Zanpakuto.

"Ban-Kai. Kagetensi Hikarioni."

Nemu unleashed her Ban-Kai, stupefying most of the audience. When Yamamoto-sama made the sign, she returned to the normal form.

"Very well… It seems that we will be able to make things go back to their normal way of going very soon… I must correct myself. Congratulations, Gosandai taichou, Uzumaki Naruto ( 5th Division's captain ), Kyuusandai taichou Yamada Hanatarou ( 9th Division's captain ) and Sandai taichou Kurotsuchi Nemu."

"Yes!"

"Congratulations, Nemu-san!"

"… Arigato."

More claps, while Mayuri's glare intensified. Then, he shunpoed away. He really needed to open something. The three new captains bowed, smiling. Then the others approached them to shake their hands… Well, Rangiku grabbed Hanatarou's right arm and placed it between her breasts. Hanatarou went tomato mode.

"Well, congratulation, Hanatarou-taichou… What about a little party to celebrate… Only you and me?"

"Ehm…"

'Damn fortunate bastard… Powerful, beautiful and timid… The dream of every girl…'

"Hey! Don't try to seduce Hanatarou-taichou with those… Those… Things!"

"If I don't, who will? You, midget… Ops. Kiyone-chan?"

"…"

While Hanatarou hid his face with a hand, blushing wildly and Shuuhei was emanating killing intent and Kira was blushing as well at the thought of a woman replacing Ichimaru, Naruto was trying to talk to his Fukutaichou.

"Hinamori-san… It will be a pleasure to…"

"No."

"Eh?"

"You will not replace Aizen-taichou!"

Said this with tears in her eyes, Hinamori rushed away, leaving a dumb-founded Naruto. He sighed deeply. Being a captain sure would be though…

"Try to understand her…"

"Uh? AAAAAAAAH! HITSUGAYA-TAICHOU, DON'T APPEAR NEAR ME ALL OF A SUDDEN!"

"She worshipped Aizen like a god. It's difficult for her to accept the truth."

"… What should I do?"

"… First lesson about being a captain. A captain cares of his subordinates like his own family. Second lesson. A captain always know what to do, because if he doesn't know, who knows?"

"… Yes."

"Tomorrow we'll have a great ceremony to celebrate the three new Taichous!"

"Get your hands off him! It's a disgusting scene! … And after all, as his former Fukutaichou, I have the precedence!"

"NOT YOU TOO, ISANE-SAN!"

_Continue…_

_In the next chapter…_

So, our favourite Shinigami have become Captains. But it's a hard job… How will they handle it? Stay tuned!

Next chapter:

Loves and struggles of a Captain


	15. Problems and intruders

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach… NARUTO AND ICHIGO ROCK!

Ehm… Ok. What to say if not… SORRYSORRYSORRY! I made you wait so much… But not because of me. It's because I had things to do. Final exam of high school, exam for the university, being away the whole summer and then… I'm trying to write a real book to publish, not a fanfic. This last thing is what took the most of my time. Well… Read and enjoy, if you want.

**Amaterasu, Logger156:** Hey… You misunderstood. I will not add Rangiku to Hanatarou's love story. It was only a little joke. Come on! She plays like that with everyone! Hitsugaya, Kira and Shuuhei ( When they got drunk and Rangiku was autosuffucating herself… ). And for the fangirl thing, I will not make bunch of fangirls stalk Hanatarou in every chapter! But… There will be some fun for another thing. XD

**arekuruu-inabikari-no-She, Hidden:** Well, in the manga they don't mention it. It's only a filler thing from the anime… AND I HATE FILLERS!

**zornoid13:** Well, Kiba and Sakura will be grown up.

Kiba: And you don't know how much…

Sakura: Really? ( She controls her chest… ) OMG! THEY'VE STARTED TO GROW!

Kiba: Told ya…

"_Try to understand her…"_

"_Uh? AAAAAAAAH! HITSUGAYA-TAICHOU, DON'T APPEAR NEAR ME ALL OF A SUDDEN!"_

"_She worshipped Aizen like a god. It's difficult for her to accept the truth."_

"… _What should I do?"_

"… _First lesson about being a captain. A captain cares of his subordinates like his own family. Second lesson. A captain always know what to do, because if he doesn't know, who knows?"_

"… _Yes."_

"_Tomorrow we'll have a great ceremony to celebrate the three new Taichous!"_

"_Get your hands off him! It's a disgusting scene! … And after all, as his former Fukutaichou, I have the precedence!"_

"_NOT YOU TOO, ISANE-SAN!"_

**After death… A death god**

**Chapter15: Problems and intruders**

"… So, this is the Sereitei…"

"Tsk… I can smell him from here…"

"Calm down. We can't let ourselves be discovered yet. First, we have to detect our target."

"Yeah, yeah… But hurry. And don't forget that Naruto is mine!"

"… If you really want…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Welcome to the 5th Division, Uzumaki-taichou!"

"Thanks very much!"

Here he was. His first day as a captain. The day before the ceremony was held, where the three new taichous were have been introduced to the entire Sereitei. Renji was terribly jealous. But he knew that his Ban-Kai was still incomplete. That was the reason because Naruto and Hanatarou had been chosen as new Taichous, along with Nemu. It had been the first time when Naruto had dressed the Captain robe on his usual Shinigami uniform. Being a captain looked very much like being an Hokage, to him. Now he was meeting his seated officers. A guy with moustaches and spiky black hair got on his knees in front of him.

"Uzumaki-taichou! I'm Ikate Senjirou, 3rd seat of the 5th Division! I must apologize for Hinamori-fukutaichou! She didn't feel very well, and…"

"Don't worry."

"Eh?"

"I've heard of her situation from Hitsugaya-taichou."

_Flashback_

"_She worshipped Aizen like a god. It's difficult for her to accept the truth."_

"… _What should I do?"_

"… _First lesson about being a captain. A captain cares of his subordinates like his own family. Second lesson. A captain always know what to do, because if he doesn't know, who knows?"_

"… _Yes."_

_End of the flashback_

"… It's better to not rush things. Injuries like these take time to heal. I'll talk to her later."

"… Yes, Uzumaki-taichou!"

Many whispers echoed trough the room, the most sounding like 'so cool!'. Naruto almost wanted to cry. Not only he wasn't treated as a monster, but now he was even admired. He felt like in heaven… Well, he was in heaven, after all.

"Now, what about showing me around? I've never been to the 5th Division."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Good morning Yamada-taichou!"

All the female seated officers of the 9th Division bowed deeply in front of Hanatarou, pushing away the male ones. Then they newly raised their heads, hearts in their eyes. Hanatarou sweatdropped, and laughed a little bit. But then he remembered what his mother had said to him. Always smile with your subordinates. So, he used his best smile to greet his seated officer.

"Thank you very much for the warm welcome. I'm looking forward to work with you."

"… Ahhhhhhhh…"

All the female officers became violent red and fell to the ground, a happy expression on their faces. Hanatarou sweatdropped along with Shuuhei while the male officers caught them just in time.

"Well… I suppose it will be easy to get accepted."

"It happens when you're a hot guy, Yamada-taichou…"

"And I thought I could meet the same difficulties as Naruto-san…"

"Hinamori-san… Yes. She worshipped Aizen like a god…"

"And you? You admired Tousen too, didn't you?"

"… Yes. But I accepted that he has changed. But that doesn't mean that someone can't knock some sense in his head."

"… Right. Now, could you please show me around, Shuuhei-san?"

"Yes, Yamada-taichou."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto had just finished his tour, and thanks to his Rai Bunshin he had finished his paper work in half of the time. Then, a death butterfly came into his office. Nemu wanted to talk to him. And there he was, waiting in the park of his division. He was very, very nervous.

'Damn, calm down! She doesn't want to do anything like you think! … Doesn't she? OF COURSE SHE DOESN'T!'

"Naruto-san."

"!"

Naruto turned around. There she was. Nemu. Her long hair let loose on her Captain robes. They gave her… An aura of dignity.

"Nemu-san… So. Why did you want to talk to me?"

"Well… I wanted to thank you…"

"H-How?"

"… Have you ever wondered why Mayuri wanted to experiment on you so badly?"

"Eh?"

"And why your Zanpakuto is so different from the others?"

"… Nope."

"Mayuri had a theory. You are different from us… Because your power is the combination of the Reiatsu of your dead form and the Reiatsu used to seal the Kyuubi in you. Two Reiatsu from two different worlds. That was what originated your powers."

"… The Shinigami… By the way, I always wondered… Who was the Shinigami who was used to seal the Kyuubi inside me? I haven't managed to find out in 300 years."

"… He was… No normal Shinigami."

"Eh?"

"He was a Jailed Shinigami. Jailed in the dimension of no-return. We call like this the jail for those Shinigami who committed great crimes, just below death penalty. Their names get forgotten and their identity cancelled."

"… And… Who was the Shinigami the Yondaime summoned to seal the Kyuubi?"

"… His name was…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yamada Kotarou."

"…"

When Unohana Retsu had summoned his adopted son because she wanted to talk to him, Hanatarou didn't expect anything like what he heard soon after. His father… A jailed Shinigami? And probably Unohana-taichou knew about it all along? He would have long preferred his mother to become one of his fangirls.

"… I… I don't understand…"

"… He was imprisoned ages ago because of a great crime he tried to commit…"

"?"

"The resurrection of a spirit."

"!"

"He was the Vice-captain of the 5th division, and the probably next captain. He was married to a beautiful woman, the 4th seat. And one night… She gave birth to a baby."

"… You… You wouldn't imply…"

"The woman died. And the baby along with her. That was what drove Kotarou crazy. So, he tried to resurrect the woman he loved and his son. But he was discovered and imprisoned."

"… Kaa-san… What does have this to do, with me?"

"… You're that son, Hanatarou. After the late events, we discovered that your mother didn't die of birth. Aizen killed her. And he took you to the Rukongai. How you survived, it's a mystery to me. But he set up all this plan for one simple reason. At the time, he was the 3rd seat of the 5th division…"

"He wanted to become captain. He wanted to develop further his plan…"

"… Hanatarou…"

"I want to be alone for a while, Kaa-san…"

With that, Hanatarou got back on his feet and exited the room, and then he shunpoed away to some place where he could have be alone to think… The ex-Soukyoku place would be great.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hinamori choose to stay alone in another place. The place where Aizen supposedly 'died'. The place where all began… That absurd situation. The same Aizen taichou that she worshipped and loved, that always comforted her and encouraged every single Shinigami under his command… Betrayed the entire Sereitei, almost killed her along with Shiro-kun… Why, why, why? Tears began to fall down her cheeks, while she suddenly felt a great Reaiatsu appear suddenly beside her. Shunpo. She suddenly turned her head behind her. Naruto… No, Uzumaki-taichou.

"Hinamori-san…"

"… Uzumaki-taichou."

"Mind if I sit down beside you?"

"No."

"The truth, Hinamori-san…"

"… I don't feel so well."

"Or is my presence that makes you unease?"

"…"

Naruto, silently, sit beside Hinamori, but at a pair of meters of distance.

"… You still haven't gotten over what happened to you, right?"

"I… I just… Can't realized how they substituted Aizen-taichou so easily. He…"

"He betrayed all of us. And killed many Shinigamis."

"…"

"Hinamori… Soon or later, you'll have to accept this thing. You can't simply deny what happened forever."

"… And what would you know about being betrayed and almost killed by someone you trusted with your life?"

"… I got betrayed by my best friend. We fought. And in the end, he managed to kill me."

"!"

"It was because of him that I died."

"… And… How can you… Still…"

"I faced the reality. That's what."

"…"

"I realized that even if my best friend betrayed me, there were a lot of thing to live… Well, to afterlive and keep on fighting for something. And you have people who love as well, right?"

"…"

"Toushiro, Renji, Kira… And anyone you want to make your friend, right?"

"…"

"So, cheer up and try to become an even better person and Shinigami, so that the next time you won't be fooled by anyone else."

"…"

Naruto, with the last sentence used one of his rare smiles. Not grins. Smiles. His smiles were as rare as beautiful, so… Hinamori just flushed. She didn't know what else to do. Then, Naruto got back on his feet, and lend her a hand to help her back on her feet. Hinamori just flushed a bit more, and grabbed his hand.

"Good. Now, what about… !"

"!"

Suddenly, Naruto and Hinamori turned in the same direction. Two powerful Reiatsu were coming in their direction. But… There was something different. They weren't nor Shinigami, nor Ryoka, nor Hollows… What were they? Just one thing was sure: they were powerful.

"… Hinamori, go and call for help."

"B-But…"

"Go, I said! They're coming this way. I'll keep them at bay."

"Y-Yes…"

And just as Hinamori disappeared, another person appeared in front of him… Hanatarou.

"Hanatarou?"

"Yes. I felt those two Reiatsu as well, and I noticed they were coming your way."

"Good… I'll probably need your help. Here they come!"

The two intruders appeared in front of the two friends… A female and a male, it seemed. And Naruto couldn't identify them… At first. They both wore strange outfits, similar to the one's of a Shinigami, but… On their faces were pieces of Hollow's masks. What the hell…

"… Who… No, what the hell are you?"

"… What business do you have with the Sereitei?"

"… How pityful…"

"What did I say to you? The bastard doesn't recognize us."

"? Who are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you, stupid ramen-retard! Not even in the death you've become more intelligent!"

"… You really don't recognize us, Naruto?"

"… !"

Naruto began to focus. He wanted to recognize his opponents. But it wasn't easy, since the piece of mask covered part of their faces. The left eye of the female and the right part of the mouth in the male. But he recognized them. Long pink hair and emerald eyes… Spiky black hair and chocolate eyes... With red markings on the cheeks…

"… This can't be…"

"Oh, but it is true! Like it's true that it's all your fault!"

"!"

While the male enemy shot an enormous amount of Reiatsu in the shape of a ball in their direction, Naruto couldn't help but try to convince himself that he had misunderstood the identity of those new enemies. Because it just couldn't be. He had recognized themselves as Sakura and Kiba.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the meanwhile, in another place… No, in another world. A world that Naruto knew maybe too well. The world where he was born. But it was now very different from when Naruto died. While for Naruto passed hundreds of years, in his homeworld had passed eight years. And everything had happened. And the most visible signs of it could be seen in the fire country. Long forgotten were the green forests. Now they were just creepy. Black trunks. Blue leaves. And… Hollows walking around freely. Hundreds of them. And in the forest, a group of five people was going back to their base. The place was situated upon the ruins of the once village of hidden leaf. And it was now surrounded by a crystal-like barrier. The group of people entered it without effort. It was a special barrier that was developed trough time. The barrier automatically detected signs of Reiatsu, and repelled everything that had a bit of it inside their body. So, it was the ultimate defence against Hollows, always automatically powered with a particular system. The group of five people stopped in the middle of the village, looking at it with a bit of sadness, as always. The mountains. Long gone were the faces of the Hokages. Just chunks of them now remained, and half of the mountain was nowhere to be found. The houses were no more like the ones that once existed. They were more village-like. Yes, because even if they called it village, Konoha was a city. Technologically more advanced that any real village. But now the technology was back to years back in time. The head of the group, dressed in a Jonin jacket, dismissed his companions. It was now time to report to the Kage. Only one building was saved from the past battles. The tower where the Hokage office was situated. But Hokage was no more used as a word. It was just 'Kage'. Shadow. Konoha was no more. What was left was just a shadow of the past. And even the current head of the settlement had a shady aura. The blonde man, named Kaito, knocked at the door of the Kage.

"Come in."

Kaito opened the door. It was always a show to face the Kage, no matter how many times you saw him. His clothes consisted in black jounin trousers, with bandages on the right tight. His chest and abdomen were covered by a blue vest, and his arms were bare, except for the bandages that covered half of his forearms. But what amused all of who observed him was his face. Especially females, since the Kage was the handsome one for sure. But what impressed all ninjas were the scar over his left eye and the Sharingan always activated in both of his eyes. His long raven hair sticking out in the air. This was the Kage of the fire country refugees, Uchiha Sasuke.

"You've come back, Kaito. I'm glad. The report?"

"We destroyed twenty-seven of them, Kage-sama. These three days of hunt proved to be successful."

"Twenty-seven… Good. Each one of them that dies is a step forward to our freedom. What about the other task?"

"Yes. We approached the place, but we couldn't enter the facility because of the tens of Hollows at guard. We, however, were able to detect something."

"Something?"

"Yes… Two enormous Reiatsu, Kage-sama. One was Jonin-level, but the other one was almost at your level, I would say."

"! A Jonin-level and one almost-Kage level! But it has never been detected a so strong Reiatsu… In this world, at least."

"Yeah… But after a sudden outburst of Reiatsu, they disappeared."

"… Probably some technique to send them to the other world."

"Yes. But it's not all."

"? What?"

"The Reiatsu… Even if they were lotsa bigger, they were for sure the one of Cherry Blossom and Wild Beast."

"!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as plates, then he lowered his head, then… He started laughing hard. Very, very hard. And Kaito couldn't help but to freak out.

"Ehm… Could I know what are you laughing about?"

"Ahahah… Yes… Sorry. I'm laughing because… I think that if I know him and those other two well, we'll see a certain dobe around here again very soon."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Get back here, you damn bastard!"

Naruto and Hanatarou kept on dodging the outburst of the male enemy, trying to find a proper place where to fight without causing excessive harm.

"Naruto-san, you know these two people?"

"… I so want to do not know them."

"… I understand. It's quite strange. I've heard of Arrankars, but these two are souls from your world. How come they're here?"

"… Probably something to do with Aizen."

"Yeah. Probably."

Suddenly, Naruto and Hanatarou stopped, once arriving at their destination. That was a good place to fight. Sakura and Kiba arrived immediately after.

"You've finally decided to stop running away! Coward! Before and always!"

"… Kiba… Sakura…"

"?"

"…"

"It's… Really you?"

"… Hmph. Yeah! It's us, Naruto! The people that you left behind! And that because of you suffered more than humanly possible!"

"… Kiba, calm down. As much as I want to fight Naruto as you, remember that we're here for another mission."

"?"

"We have to take you captive, Yamada Hanatarou."

"!"

"… It's Aizen, isn't it?"

"?"

"It's Aizen that commands you… That transformed you into… This."

"… Yes. It's true."

"_But how is it possible? Maybe Naruto-san hasn't noticed, but it has passed no more than a few weeks from the disappearance of Aizen. So, how… ! Maybe… Yes. That would make sense!"_

"Naruto-san!"

"!"

Naruto and Hanatarou turned around just in time to see another person with captain robes arriving… Nemu. Her Zanpakuto unsheathed and ready to fight.

"Hinamori-san said that you needed help. I'm here."

"! Another captain?"

"… Kiba, against three captains we're at clear disadvantage. And from what I guess, we let someone call for help."

"… So what do you suggest?"

"… I suggest that we take this battle on another terrain."

"… Exactly what I was thinking!"

"!"

"!"

"!"

Suddenly, Kiba slammed both of his palm onto the ground, and under the three captains appeared a strange violet portal. And they fell into it, followed by the two Arrankars who jumped into it right after them. The sensation… Was strange. They weren't able to move, but they knew they were moving. They didn't feel pain, but they felt it when they tried to move. And soon, after what seemed like an eternity, they landed. Well… Each one of them landed in a different place, it seemed. Naruto landed somewhere in a desert. But he could recognize the world from the scent. Yes… The scent.

"… I'm back."

_**The end**_

**Watch out for the sequel! "After death, a war".**

**Stay tuned! Thank you, faithful reviewers!**

P.S.: Sorry if the chapter is not very well written, but I was in a rush to finish it, I suppose.


	16. Important Notice

Important Notice

Ok… You see, I've learned something, during this years spent on Fanfiction dot net. If a story doesn't get enough reviews, it's not worth your time. And I don't have much time, lately, with the university and the silly thing known as my life. XD

That's why I'm deleting Naruto Bleach X and The Bunshin Scroll 2. So, why the notice? Because, I wanted to ask my fans this.

For deleting these two stories, I'll start and write another one. So… I need your votes. There are two options to choose from.

_**After death, a War**_

The long awaited sequel to after Death. Crossover between Naruto and Bleach, and it takes place entirely in the Naruto world, as the original After Death took place entirely in the Bleach world.

_**Ab Extare Sontes (Guilty of existence)**_

Crossover between Naruto and Kingdom Hearts II. I'm not saying much about it, but reading my profile will give you a good idea of what this story would be like.

The poll will be open for seven days. Starting from today (31/03/2007) till the next Saturday (07/04/2007). I'll post the results on all my stories.

Vote by private messages, please. Because going to check all the reviews in all my stories would be a pain in the ass. '

Meinos Kaen


	17. Results

Ok, guys!

Sorry for the delay, but I was painting, this week-end! And painting walls!

So, the winner is…

After death, a war!

Congratulations!

The first chapter is 75 completed already. Wait for it for this week-end!

For Ab extare sontes, it will have to wait a little. And the other stories… I will continue them, don't worry.

Meinos Kaen


	18. It's out

The sequel is out.

Check my profile. ;)

Enjoy

Meinos Kaen

P.S.: The sequel is rated M


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